Fungal Skin Infections Flashcards
Fungal transmission through touch
Tineas organism; lives on skin, plants, surfaces; can get under skin in surgery
Cryptococcal
Fungus you get thru inhalation
Candidiasis
Fungus you can get through taking antibiotics
Who is more at risk for fungal infections?
The elderly, immunocompromised, pts with catheters, organ transplant pt, getting chemo
Superficial fungal skin lesions examples
Tinea pedis, tinea captitis, tinea vesicolor, candidasis
Causes of superficial fungal skin lesions
Mycosis or dermatophytes; only on superficial skin
What fungus is located on hair, skin, and nails
Tineas and candidiasis
Tx for superficial fungal skin lesions
Topical antifungal preparations—systemic antifungals needed for tx failure or extensive areas
Candida albicans and sx
Type of yeast that likes warm dark areas (mouth, genitals, under breasts); causes thrush and beefy red spots with satellite lesions in intertriginous areas
Thrush
White lesions in mouth
Risk factors for Candida albicans
Immunocompromised, antibiotic use, HIV, chemo
Tx for Candida albicans
Topical antibiotics
Superficial dermatophytes and location
The Tineas; Lives on keratinized tissues of skin, hair, or nails
Tinea corporois
Ringworm of the body
Tinea pedis
Athlete’s foot—dry, scaly, itchy on web spaces and spreads to the toes
Tinea pedis tx
OTC topicals, oral or IV systemic
Tinea pedis SE risk factors and NC
Contact with skin, wet environment; shower shoes, clean tub, keep dry
Tinea versicolor
Non-contagious red, white, and pink patches on upper chest, back, arms (ringworm)
Tinea versicolor risk factors and tx
Hot climate, sweat, oily, weak immune system; tx with antifungal shampoo
Tinea capitis
Scaly lesions and alopecia on scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes (cradle cap)
Tinea capitis tx
PO systemic antifungals for 4-6 weeks; NO topicals
Tinea Cruris
Ringworm of the groin
Systemic fungal infection sx
Can affect internal organs—intestines, brain, urinary; in lungs, can cause blastomyosis, pneumocystis, histaplasmosis (common in KY bc good enviro for it)
Which systemic fungal infection can affect lungs and meninges?
Cryptococcosis
—osis
Fungal infections that damaging and often seen in immunocompromised patients
Systemic fungal infection tx
Need IV and aggressive oral tx
Herpes zoster
Shingles; Varicella zoster virus that lies dormant in CNS along dermatomes after chickenpox; becomes activated by immunocompromised, stress, or illness
Development of herpes zoster
Prodrome: burn, tingle along dermatome then rash development with vesicles that crust over; often unilateral but may progress
Characteristics of herpes zoster
Vesicles on red base that follow along dermatomal distribution—asymmetric (doesn’t cross midline); very painful, clears in 2-3 weeks, often in people over 50 (can occur in anyone who had pox or certain people who haven’t)
When are shingles most contagious?
When vesicles are weepy
Shingles tx
Antivirals, often IV
Complications of shingles
Post-herpetic neuralgia persistent pain in the area where the rash was (in 13% of cases)
