Mycology Exam 1: Intro + Dermatophytes Flashcards
Saprophytic fungi
Live on dead or decayed organic matter in the environment
T/F: Fungal infections are generally communicable via person-to-person.
FALSE
Humans are often accidental hosts via inhalation of spores or introduction of fungi to tissue
Unicellular fungi that develop moist, creamy, opaque, or pasty colonies
Yeast
Multicellular fungi that demonstrate fluffy, cottony, wooly, or powdery colonies
Filamentous fungi/molds
Theramally Dimorphic fungi (what are they and what temps are they at which stage)
Dimorphic fungi exhibit a yeast and filamentous phase dependent upon temperature
Mold = cold
Yeast = body temp (warm)
Polymorphic fungi
Fungi with more than one independent form or spore stage in their life cycle, not temperature dependent
(ex. Candida species –> yeast forms, pseudohyphae, and/or true hyphae)
What 5 characteristics do MOST fungi share?
- Chitin in cell wall
- Ergosterol in cell membrane
- Reproduction by means of spores
- Lack of chlorophyll
- Lack of susceptibility to antibacterial antibiotics
Zygomycota
- Produce aseptate or sparsely septate hyphae
- Asexual reproduction by sporangiospores
- Sexual reproduction by zygospores
Ascomycota
- Reproduce asexually by forming conidia
- Reproduce sexually by forming ascospores
- Produce true septate hyphae
Basidiomycota
- Reproduce sexually by forming basidiospores on a structure called basidia
What are the 4 clinical categories of fungi?
- Superficial (cutaneous mycoses)
- Subcutaneous mycoses
- Systemic mycoses
- Opportunistic mycoses
Superficial mycoses
Involve keratinized tissue (hair, skin, nails) with no invasion of deeper tissue
Subcutaneous mycoses
Confined to subcutaneous tissue without dissemination to distant sites
Systemic mycoses
Widely disseminated infections that can involve any organ system, mostly involving lungs
Opportunistic mycoses
Any fungi can be opportunistic, associated with immunocompromised patients
Dematiaceous vs hyaline
Hyaline = nonpigmented
Dematiaceous = melanized (dark pigment)
Virulence factors of opportunistic fungi
- Size (smaller = more likely to infect)
- Ability to grow at 37C at neutral pH
- Conversion of mold to yeast in host
- Toxin production
Mold cultures and clinical specimens MUST be handled in a class ___ BSC.
Yeast specimens can be handled _________
II
Yeast = can be handled on bench top
What is suitable for decontamination of molds?
Electric incinerator
Cultures of pathogenic organisms should be _____________
sealed with tape/parafilm
Once definitive ID is made, how to dispose?
Via autoclave
Fungal specimens should be processed within ____ hours of receipt.
2
What is the most common specimens collected for fungal culture?
Lower respiratory tract specimens
Lower respiratory tract fungal specimen storage requirements
Stored @ RT if processed within 2 hours
Refrigerated if delayed
Sterile body fluid fungal cultures are collected in ________ and a minimum of ____ mL is required.
Heparin blood tubes
2 mL
Sterile body fluid fungal specimen storage requirements
Should be processed ASAP
Store at RT, NEVER refrigerate!
Fungal eye specimens, storage requirements and how are they plated
Plated on noninhibitory media in an X or C shaped pattern
Stored at RT, do not refrigerate
Hair/skin/nail scrapings storage requirements
NEVER refrigerate
Incubation for at least 21 days at 30C before reporting as negative
Vaginal fungal specimens transport/storage requirements
Must be transported within 24 hours
Kept moist –> suitable for wet prep
Screened for yeasts using chromogenic agars for Candida spp.
Urine fungal specimens transport/storage requirements
Samples centrifuged and sediment cultured
Stored at RT if within 2 hours
Refrigerate if delayed
If transport system used, room temp for up to 72hrs
Tissue fungal specimens
Minced before culturing
Cultures incubated for 21 days at 30C
Cycloheximide
Inhibits pathogenic fungi
If media with cycloheximide is used, media without cycloheximide should also be used
What is BHI agar used for?
Primary recovery of saprobic and pathogenic fungi (grows bacteria, yeast, and pathogenic fungi)
What is Chromogenic agar used for?
Isolation and presumptive ID of yeast and filamentous fungi
What is inhibitory mold (IMA) agar used for?
Primary recovery of pathogenic, cycloheximide sensitive fungi exclusive of dermatophytes
- Contains chloramphenicol to inhibit bacterial growth
What is mycosel agar used for?
Primary recovery of dermatophytes - inhibits bacteria and saprophytic fungi
What is Sabouraud dextrose agar used for?
Primary recover of saprobic and pathogenic fungi - grows all fungi
What color will C. tropicalis be on CHROMagar?
Metallic blue
What color will C. krusei be on CHROMagar?
Pink, fuzzy
What color will C. albicans be on CHROMagar?
Green
What color will C. glabrata be on CHROMagar?
Mauve
What is india ink stain used for? What does a positive result look like?
Detection of Cryptococcus sp. in CSF
Cryptococcus sp. will have a halo around the yeast against a dark background
What is lactophenol cotton blue wet mount used for?
Most widely used method of staining and observing fungi
What is calcofluor white stain used for?
Detection of fungi
What is KOH used for?
Clearing of specimen to make fungi more readily visible, used for direct wet mount of specimens
What stains bind to polysaccharides, chitin, and cellulose present in fungi?
Calcofluor white and lactophenol blue stains
What does lactophenol blue stain contain and what does it do?
Lactic acid –> preserves fungal structures
Phenol –> Acts as a killing agent
Cotton blue –> stains fungal wall
What is a polysaccharide that is present in the cell wall of some fungi?
(1,3)-B-D-Glucan