Micro- Cutaneous & Subcutaneous Mycoses Flashcards
What are superficial mycoses?
non-invasive and minimally symptomatic infections of the most superficial layers of keratin of skin and hair.
What age group is typically affected by pityriasis [tinea] versicolor? Why?
How does it present?
What environmental factors affect it?
What is the infectious agent?
It classically affects young people at the beginning of puberty as the result of hormonal changes and increased sebum production.
It presents with multiple macules of variable appearance [but usually hypopigmented] surrounded by normal skin.
High temp and humidity favor tinea versicolor.
The infectious agent : malassezia furfur
A patient presents with black spots on the palms and soles. What fungal infection could this be?
What is the causative agent?
Tinea nigra- caused by Hortaea werneckii [a fungus native to soil, compost, and woods in the tropics]
What is Piedra?
nodules outside of the hair shaft [ectothrix]
Black - piedra hortae
White- trichosporon
How is tinea versicolor diagnosed? Confirmed?
Diagnosis: clinical appearance
Confirmed with:
- Wood’s lamp which shines UV light at 365 nm. Yellow/green fluorescence = active lesion
- scrapings reveal “spaghetti and meatball” appearance
How is tinea versicolor treated?
Topical agents:
- selenium sulfide
- terbinafine
- topical azoles
Oral treatment if topical fails:
- ketoconazole
- itraconazole
- terbinafine
What agent causes tinea versicolor?
What does a skin sample look like?
Why can the agent not be cultured?
It is causes by malassezia furfur.
Skin sample will have a “spaghetti and meatball appearance”
It cannot be cultured because it is lipophilic [if you add olive oil it can be cultured in 3-7 days]
What layer of the skin do dermatophytes invade?
How do they appear clinically?
How are they classified?
They invade the superficial stratum corneum of the skin, hair and nails.
They appear as serpentine or annular lesions with raised margins.
They are classified by the body region involved
What infectious agents cause tinea capitis?
What area of the body is affected?
What factors contribute to acquiring this infection?
Where can this disease be an epidemic?
- Microsporum canis
- Trichophyton tonsurans
It affects the scalp.
Factors that lead to infection:
- poor hygiene
- prolonged moist skin
- minor skin or scalp injuries
disease can be epidemic in inner city children
What infectious agent causes tinea corporis?
Trichophyton
A patient presents with athlete’s foot characterized by itching, erythema scaling, and edema. What is the cutaneous infection?
What agent most likely caused it?
What predisposes to this infection?
Tinea pedis caused by:
- Epidermophyton
- Trichophyton
Predisposing factors:
- bad hygiene
- tennis shoes with wet skin
What is tenia barbae?
Infection of the bearded area in men which appears as:
- follicular inflammation
- chronic cutaneous granulomatous lesion
What is tinea faciei?
dermatophyte infection of the face NOT involving the beard area
What is tinea unguium?
What infectious agent causes it?
dermatophyte infection of the nail bed caused by trichophyton
How does the infection pattern of zoophilic organisms differ from anthropologic organisms?
Zoophilic- affect exposed areas like the face, neck and arms
Anthropophilic - affect occluded areas of the skin or areas of trauma
Describe onychomycosis.
What are the 2 most common causes?
How does it differ from tinea unguium?
It refers to a non-dermatophyte nail infection or fungal nail infection caused by ANY fungus.
- Scoplariopsis brevicaulis
- Candida albicans
Tinea unguium can be applied ONLY if the infection is due to a dermatophyte.
Are dermatophytes monomorphic or dimorphic?
Describe the microbiology.
What are the 3 main types of conidia?
They are monomorphic fungi with a mycelial form and NO yeast form.
Dermatophytes are/have:
- keratinophilic
- colorless conidia
- arthroconidia [infective form]
- micro and macroconidia [diagnostic]
What are the 3 main pathogenic genera of fungi?
Are they anthropophilic, zoophilic or geophilic?
Describe the conidia of each.
What tinea do they cause?
- Microsporum canis
- zoophilic
- spindle shaped MACROconidia
- tinea capitis - Epidermophyton floccusum
- geophilic
- dumbbell-shaped MACROconidia
- tinea pedis - Trichophyton
- anthropophilic
- microconidia only
- ALL tineas
For the dermatophytes, which species will cause hair to fluoresce a greenish-yellow color when exposed to UV light [+Wood’s sign]?
some species of microsporum
What will the dermatophytes look like with KOH prep and light microscopy?
Why is this technique used?
They will look like branching septate hyphae
KOH lyses mammalian cells by saponifying and solubilizing the lipid membrane, but fungal carb cell walls remain intact.
What are the 3 modes of transmission of dermatophytes?
How long does infected material remain infectious [and able to spread to others]?
[Humans, animals, soil]
- person to person [trichophyton]
- animal to human [microsporum]
- environment [epidermophytan]
Infected material remains infectious for greater than 1 year