lecture 14) human fungal pathogens Flashcards

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1
Q

in what type of people are fungal infections most dangerous?

A

immunocompromised

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2
Q

what type of organisms are fungi?

A

eukaryotic

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3
Q

where and how is DNA in fungal cells stored?

A

DNA in chromosomes in nucleus

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4
Q

why are fungal infections harder to treat than bacterial and viral infections?

A

treatments for infections involve targeting essential processes of the cell to deem them unharmful
as fungal cells are eukaryoties, their essential processes would be the same as ours

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5
Q

how do fungi feed?

A

absorb nutrients by breaking down organic material into simple molecules using hydrolytic enzymes

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6
Q

what type of fungi are moulds?

A

filamentous

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7
Q

how quick can filamentous spores grow?

A

3 days (v quick)

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8
Q

name 3 types of fungi

A

moulds
yeasts
dimorphic

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9
Q

describe the cell composition of yeasts

A

mainly unicellular

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10
Q

do all yeasts bud?

A

no

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11
Q

what is a dimorphic fungi?

A

fungi that switches between 2 forms in response to changes in the environment

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12
Q

what is a key virulence factor of dimorphic fungi?

A

their ability to switch morphology

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13
Q

what are the 3 types of diseases that fungi can cause?

A
superficial mycoses (skin, hair, nails, mucous membranes)
subcutaneous mycoses (through wound)
deep seated/systemic mycoses (single deep organ or disseminated)
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14
Q

what sort of diseases are subcunateous fungal diseases?

A

rare tropical diseases

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15
Q

what is a primary pathogen?

A

directly cause disease

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16
Q

what is an opportunistic pathogen?

A

in normal situations the pathogen wont cause disease but in certain situations they will

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17
Q

what are the infection of dermatophytes like?

A

superficial infection of skin, hair or nails

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18
Q

what are the 3 genera that cause dermtophyte infections?

A

microsporum sp.
epidermophyton sp.
trichophyton sp.

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19
Q

what is the morphology of dermatophytes?

A

filamentous

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20
Q

where do dermatophytes come from?

A

soil, animals, people

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21
Q

what do dermatophytes produce?

A

keratinase
digest keratin as growth substance
infect keratin rich tissues

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22
Q

name the 3 groups dermatophytes are divided into based on habitat

A

anthropophillic
zoophillic
geophillic

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23
Q

what are anthropophillic dermatophytes?

A

reservoir and host is man

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24
Q

what are zoophillic dermatophytes?

A

reservoir is animales, can infect man

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25
Q

what are geophillic dermatophytes?

A

found in soil

occasionally pathogenic

26
Q

what group of dermatophytes give the most serious infection?

A

zoophillic

not used to seeing them in the human body therefore a more enhanced inflammatory response is induced

27
Q

what type of classification is used for dermatophytes?

A

non-mycological

aka non-phylogenetic

28
Q

candida is a normal commensal organism. what does this mean?

A

commensal means that both parties benefit in cohabitation meaning the human body and candida both benefit when in each others presence

29
Q

where is candida present in the body?

A

50% in mouth and GI tract

20% women in genital tract

30
Q

are all candidas related?

A

cannot assume that the name candida means they are phylogenetically related

31
Q

what are the sires of superficial infection of candida?

A

mouth, vagina, penis, skin, nails

32
Q

name 3 predisposing factors of candida infections

A

antibiotics
diabetes (candida thrive in sugary environments)
pregnant women (hormone imbalances)

33
Q

who are at risk to candida infections?

A

normal individuals as it is a commensal organism that already lives within us
doesnt take much to tip it to be pathogenic

34
Q

what could reoccurring vaginal thrush caused by candida be due to?

A

immune responses that cause symptoms of thrush

35
Q

how do subcutaneous mycoses cause infection?

A

inhabitants of soil and vegetation

introduced into the body via puncture wounds

36
Q

how quickly do subcutaneous mycoses infections take to develop?

A

months to years

37
Q

why are they hard to treat?

A

where they occur is normally in developing countries that have limited facilities

38
Q

why are subcutaneous mycoses infections not very responsive to treatment?

A

regular antifungal treatment made for more common infections in the western, more developed world which are used to treat different infections eg thrust

39
Q

what type of pathogens do invasive mycoses cause infections and which ones kill you?

A

primary pathogens cuase disease but can be mild

opportunistic pathogens kill people

40
Q

why dont we hear about invasive mycoses infections?

A

mainly found in developing countries that may not have the infrastructure to report the cases

41
Q

what is the impact of better medical intervention on fungal infections?

A

better medical intervention means more people who are immunocompromised meaning more people being susceptible to fungal diseases

42
Q

where are invasive mycoses found in the world?

A

geographically limited
none in the UK
common in endemic regions

43
Q

what does thermally dimorphic mean?

A

found in environment in soil etc

44
Q

what type of disease do invasive mycoses cause?

A

asymptomatic (no symptoms)
generally mild infections
if there are symptoms it will be a respiratory infection
more serious infections are seen in immunocompromised patients

45
Q

what sites in the bodt do deep-seated disseminated infections occur?

A

single organ or widespread (disseminated)

46
Q

what are the predisposing factors of deep-seated candida infections?

A

seriously immunocompromised hosts eg neutropenic, organ and bone marrow transplant, cancer

47
Q

what routes of infection does deep-seated candida infections have?

A

burns patients
abdominal surgery
catheter

48
Q

what type of diseases does candida auris cause?

A

superficial and systemic diseases

49
Q

what are the key concerns of candida auris?

A

multi-drug resistance
misdiagnosis
hospital outbreaks

50
Q

do most species of aspergillosis cause disease?

A

most of them dont cause disease

only 2-3 species do

51
Q

what are the routes of infection of aspergillosis?

A

inhalation of spores

52
Q

how do we get infections of aspergillosis?

A

ubiquitous fungus

53
Q

what is the route of infection for cryptococcosis?

A

inhalation

sexual cycle produces small spores

54
Q

although cryptococcosis is dimorphic, how does it grow in patients?

A

grows as capsulate yeast in patients

55
Q

where is cryptococcosis found?

A

pigeon droppings
soil
avian habitats

56
Q

what diseases does cryptococcosis cause?

A
pulmonary cryptococcosis (often no symptoms, chronic, lies dormant, see relapses)
meningitis in immunocompromised (once in blood it can target the brain)
57
Q

what disease does pneumocystis cause and what are its symptoms?

A

pneumocystis pneumonia (dry cough, shortness of breath)
respiratory infection in immunocompromised patients
route of infection is inhalation

58
Q

why might pneumocystis be non-culturable in vitro?

A

lacks most of the genes needed for amino acid synthesis

59
Q

how come pneumocystis was originally classed as a protozoan?

A

life cycle of a proteozoan but when sequencing the genome it is a fungus

60
Q

why should we be thankful for pneumocystis?

A

led us to the first ever report of AIDs