L13 Basic mycology Flashcards
Fungi are eukaryotic. Describe the content of fungal cell walls?
Contains glycans: mannan, glucan, chitin
Fungal cell membranes are phospholipid bilayers with ergosterols. Therefore, ________, _____ such as _______ can be used as treatment?
Azole, polyene
e.g. amphotericin B
What are the differences between yeast and mould, which are both fungi?
Yeast: unicellular with pseudohyphae
Mould: multicellular with true hyphae = germ tubes
Candida albicans are a type of __________ fungi which changes with the environment - Room temperature: yeast; 37 degrees: mould.
Dimorphic
Fungi like Malassezia furfur, dermatophytes and Candida species stain with ______ wet mount, which is used to ________________. It also stains with lactophenol cotton blue as counterstain to highlight the filaments.
KOH; digest the keratin on skin (digest cell junction)
Fungi can be cultured in _________ agar.
Sabouraud agar (dextrose 4%) (sugar lover)
This fungi is Gram stain + (stained blue-black) with budding yeast and psedohyphae at 20 degrees celcius. It is also oval in shape. Name the fungi and how is it diagnosed?
Candida albicans.
- Diagnosed by KOH wet mount
- Germ tube +ve test: formation of true hyphae (germ tube) in hourse serum, 37 degrees celcius for 2h
Name the 4 types of Candida non-albicans. What would be the expected results when they are put to the germ tube test? What does it suggest?
- C. glabrata. [bra]
- C. krusei. [cruise]
- C. parapsilosis [para-絲綢]
- C. tropicalis [go to tropical area]
- Germ tube -ve; anti-fungal susceptibility
Name the 3 clinical diseases that Candida albicans can cause.
- Oral candidiasis - inhaled steroid users
- Candida oesophagitis - AIDS defining illness (CD4 <100)
- Candida vulvovaginitis
What is the infection site of Candida albicans?
Systemic
Which of the following about pneumocystis jirovecii is incorrect? Explain.
A. It is a yeast
B. It appears in clusters
C. They are cup-shaped, collapsed basketball like
D. It is diagnosed by India ink in CSF
E. Pneumocystis carinii is the form in rats
F. It appears in small amounts
D
- This is Cryptococcus neoformans species complex!
- Diagnosed by Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)/ induced sputuum - Toluidine blue O stain.
F: microscopy: >5/HPF (high power field)
Pneumocystis jirovecii transmission?
Disease that it may cause?
- By inhalation
- Pneumocustic pneumonia in severe immunocompromised, e.g. AIDS (CD4 <200)
Pneumocystis jirovecii is an obligate extracellular yeast. How is it cultured?
Non-cultivable!
only in-vivo!
This fungi is a yeast that has a large capsule that is as thick as its cell diameter. It is also anti-phagocytic. Name the fungi.
Cryptococcus neoformans species complex
For the Cryptococcus variant neoformans,
- Serotype?
- Where can it be found?
- Affect what patients?
Serotype A/D
Pigeon faeces, soil
immunocompromised (e.g. AIDS)
- What is the other variant other than Cryptococcus variant neoformans?
- Serotype?
It is found in eucaluptus tree, affects immunocompromised. - Prognosis?
Cryptocccus variant gattii
Serotype B/C
Poor prognosis