Mycology

Question 1

What are the 2 types of fungi?

Answer 1

Yeast (single celled)
Mold (multicellular)

Question 2

What are some characteristics of fungi?

Answer 2

They contain membrane bound organelles, including mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and a nucleus

Question 3

How do both types of fungi reproduce?

Answer 3

Molds produce sexually, and yeasts asexually (budding) Sometimes budding happens in molds

Question 4

What is yeasts?

Answer 4

Unicellular eukaryotic organism, with very sophisticated machinery, reproduce asexually

Question 5

Fungal cell wall

Answer 5

Made up of ergosterol, major structure is chitin, no peptidoglycan, contains a cell well

Question 6

What is the importance of fungal cell structures?

Answer 6

Gives shape to the fungi, gives them strength (protects against UV), secretes enzymes from their walls

Question 7

How do fungi reproduce

Answer 7

Spores or conidia

Question 8

How do yeasts reproduce

Answer 8

budding cells (mother and daughter cell)

Question 9

What are some medically relevant fungi

Answer 9

Yeasts-Candida app and Cryptococcus
Molds-Dermatophytes and hyaline

Question 10

What is cryptoccocus

Answer 10

Lives in dirt and pigeon poop, it is a yeast

Question 11

What is Dermatophyte

Answer 11

A mold-fungal infection also known as ring worm. Happen on head or leg/feet

Question 12

What are the 4 infection classifications

Answer 12

superficial or cutaneous-blood/tissue
subcutaneous mycoses
systemic mycoses
opportunistic mycoses-altered immune state

Question 13

What is Candida spp

Answer 13

It is normal flora of the GII tract, and often colonized the skin and environment. It can lead to infections in immunocompromised individuals

Question 14

What is Cryptococcuss spp

Answer 14

They are yeasts that don’t typically lead to infection but can in an altered immune system, often found in soil or dried feces (pigeon poop). Can lead o pneumonia, meningitis. It contains a large capsule around the yeast cell to help evade immune mediated phagocytosis

Question 15

What is the dimorphic fungi?

Answer 15

Histoplasma capsulatu
Blastomyces dermatides
Coccidioides immitis
Paracoccidiodes brasilis
Sporothrix schleferi
Taloromyces marneffer

Question 16

What does dimorphic fungi mean

Answer 16

It is depenedent on temperature, yeast at 37 celcious and mold at 25

Question 17

Histoplasma capstulatum

Answer 17

causes fever, sweats, weight loss, presents as chronic meningitis

Question 18

Blastomyces dermatitidis

Answer 18

presents as chronic or acute pulmonary disease that mimics CAP
Ultimately to disseminated disease, involves bony lesions

Question 19

Coccidioides immitus

Answer 19

most cases asymptomatic
may mimic CAP

Question 20

Opportunistic Mycoses

Answer 20

considered non-pathogenic, but can cause significant illness in the immunocompromised
Commonly found in soil and environment
Can result in sinus infections
Example-aspergillus

Question 21

What are some opportunistic fungi

Answer 21

Aspergillus
Penicillium
Paeciliomyces
Acremonium
Fusarium

Question 22

mucorales

Answer 22

(zygomecetes) are fast growing fungi, “lid lifters”
Types are rhino cerebral, rhino orbital, rhino maxillary

Question 23

What are some anti-fungal therapies

Answer 23

They interfere with nucleic acids

Question 24

How does the lab detect fungi?

Answer 24

Gram stain sometimes
Culture on specialize media

Question 25

What are some fungal stains

Answer 25

KOH keeps fungal cells there and is clear
Calcoflour-stains great, but background noise
Silver-stains black (nice contrast), too much background noise