Medical Mycology Flashcards
A specialized discipline in the field of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, environmental impact, and genetic and biochemical properties.
Mycology
Major factors responsible for the increase in the number of fungal infections
Growing number of immunocompromised people
Major predisposing factors for fungal infections
Immunocompromised host
Complex surgical procedures
Antibacterial therapy
Living on dead or decayed organic matter in nature
Saprophytic
Humans become accidental hosts for fungi by
Inhaling of spores
Direct contact with spores
Introduction of fungal elements into tissue by trauma.
Colony appearance of yeasts
Moist, creamy, opaque or pasty colonies
Colony appearance of molds
Fluffy, cottony, woolly, or powdery colonies
Fungal pathogens that exhibit either a yeast (or yeast-like) phase, and filamentous forms
Dimorphic fungi
When dimorphism is temperature dependent, the fungi are designated
Thermally dimorphic
Ideal temperature for molds
25° to 30°C
Ideal temperature for yeasts
35° to 37°C
The medically important dimorphic fungi
Histoplasma capsulatum
Blastomyces dermatitidis
C. immitis
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
Sporothrix schenckii
Penicillium marneffei
Fungi that have more than one independent form or spore stage in their life cycle
Polymorphic fungi
Polymorphic fungi groups are temperature dependent. True or false?
False
General characteristics of fungi
Eukaryotic
Thallophytes
Chitin in the cell wall
Ergosterol in the cell membrane
Reproduction by means of spores, produced asexually or sexually
Lack of chlorophyll
Lack of susceptibility to antibacterial antibiotics
Saprophytic nature
Have true nuclei and are heterotrophic members of the plant family
Thallophytes
Sexual reproduction of zygomycota
Zygospores
Asexual reproduction of zygomycota
Sporangiospores
Asexual reproduction of zygomycota
Sporangiospores
Fungi that produce hyaline sparsely septate hyphae
Zygomycota
Clinically important genera of phylum zygomycota
Rhizopus
Mucor
Rhizomucor
Lichtheimia (Absidia)
Cunninghamella
Asexual reproduction of ascomycota
Conidia
Known as asexual spores
Conidia
Sexual reproduction of ascomycota
Ascospores
Sexual form of fungi
Teleomorph
Asexual form of fungi
Anamorph
Fungi that have different asexual forms of the same fungus are called
Synanomorphs
Anamorphic forms of Pseudallescheria boydii
Scedosporium apiospermum Graphium
Species with graphium anamorph
Microsporum spp.
Trichophyton spp.
Pseudallescheria boydii
Teleomorphic form of H. capsulatum
Ajellomyces
Teleomorphic form of Aspergillus
Eurotium
Sexual reproduction of basidiomycota
Basidiospores
Specialized structure where basidiospores are formed
Basidia
The teleomorphic form of C. neoformans
Filobasidiella neoformans
Asexual reproduction of deuteromycota
Conidia
Sexual reproduction of deuteromycota
Lacks sexual reproductive cycle
Fungal infections that involve the hair, skin, or nails without direct invasion of the deeper tissue.
Superficial or cutaneous mycoses
Agents of ringworm, athlete’s foot
Dermatophytes
Examples of subcutaneous infections
Sporothricosis
Mycetoma
Chromoblastomycosis
Phaeohyphomycotic cysts
Agents of systemic fungal infections
Blastomyces
Coccidioides
Histoplasma
Paracoccidioides
P. marneffei
Primary organ involved in systemic mycoses
Lungs
Primary mode of acquisition of systemic mycoses
Inhalation
Agents of superficial or cutaneous fungal infections
Dermatophytes
Tinea nigra
Tinea versicolor
Piedra
Infections that occur primarily in patients with some type of compromise of the immune system.
Opportunistic mycoses
Commonly encountered infections caused by opportunistic mycoses
Aspergillosis
Candidiasis
Cryptococcosis
Zygomycosis
Fungal infections involved in deeper skin layers, including muscle, connective tissue, and bone
Subcutaneous mycoses
Fungal infections that disseminate and involve any organ system
Systemic mycoses
Fungi that produce brown-pigmented structures
Dematiaceous fungi
Phaeoid hyphae
Hyphae with crosswalls
Septate hyphae
Hyphae that is continuous without crosswalls
Aseptate hyphae or Sparsely septate / Coenocytic