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MICROM 460 > Mycology Lecture 1 > Flashcards

Mycology Lecture 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Fungi are completely ____ from plants.

A

distinct

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2
Q

True or false: of the 2-4 million fungal species that have been described by taxonomists, a large portion are clinically relevant.

A

False - only about 200 fungal species are known to cause human disease

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3
Q

Fungi are a part of which domain of life?

A

Eukarya

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4
Q

Good fungi are a part of our ___, such as:

A

food; chocolate, bread, beer, cheese, edible mushrooms and truffles

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5
Q

Besides food, how else are fungi beneficial? (5)

A

they are commercially and medically useful:

  1. some fungi convert corn sugars to ethanols for food, and
  2. we have extracted penicillin (antibiotic) from fungal species
  3. can be used for biodegradable packaging
  4. can play a role in cleaning up pollution
  5. fight cancer
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6
Q

Great Potato Famine in Ireland was caused by:

A

Phytophthora infestans

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7
Q

Saint Anthony’s Fire (more common in Middle Ages) is caused by:

A

Claviceps

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8
Q

Symptoms of Saint Anthony’s Fire

A

Hallucinations, confusions, gangrenous limbs, skin sores, convulsions

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9
Q

Derivatives of the toxin produced by ____ is now used in medications, such as migraine meds.

A

Claviceps

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10
Q

About __ fungal species are known to cause human disease. About __% of all human infections are caused by __ ___ species of fungi.

A

200; 90%; a few dozen

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11
Q

True or false: fungal pathogens cause a wide range of infections, such as superficial, cutaneous, subcutaneous, and systemic

A

True

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12
Q

True or false: when a fungal pathogen becomes systemic, often it is easy to cure the infection solely by using antifungal drugs.

A

False - at that stage, the fungi can erode through layers of skin and tissue. The only way to remove the infection is through surgical excision/debridement. In other words, fungal meds on their own will likely not be enough

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13
Q

Fungi are ___ and contain ____

A

eukaryotic; organelles

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14
Q

Fungi are like animals in the sense that they are _____

A

heterotrophs

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15
Q

Fungi require organic compounds for ____ and ____ ____

A

energy and carbon sources

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16
Q

True or false: first fungi ingest their food source and then digest them

A

False - first digest externally, then ingest nutrients

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17
Q

In addition to being heterotrophs, fungi are _____

A

osmiotrophs

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18
Q

A unique biosynthetic pathway found in fungi

A

lysine synthesis

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19
Q

Fungi take on what three morphological forms?

A
  1. yeast
  2. hyphae
  3. both
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20
Q

What is one way that fungi are completely distinct from plants?

A

No chlorophyll

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21
Q

True or false: fungal cell membrane is primarily made of chitin

A

False - cell wall contains chitin

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22
Q

Chitin is useful for providing ___ to fungal cells

A

rigidity

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23
Q

Chitin is similar to ____ ___ in humans

A

hyaluronic acid

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24
Q

Fungal cell wall contains:

A

chitin, glucans, mannans

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25
Q

Fungal cell membranes contain:

A

ergosterol

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26
Q

___ ____ RNA is used in fungal diagnosis

A

18S ribosomal (18S rRNA)

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27
Q

True or false: Fungi are largely anaerobic

A

False - mainly aerobic (limited anaerobic capabilities)

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28
Q

Name 3 fungal “nutritional modes”

A
  1. saprobes
  2. parasites
  3. mutualists
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29
Q

Saprobe

A

lives on dead materials; decomposers found in the environment

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30
Q

Parasites

A

live on living organisms; pathogens that cause harm to host

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31
Q

mutualists

A

live on host but provide benefits to the host

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32
Q

A commonly known parasitic fungus called ____ causes “zombie ants”

A

Cordyceps

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33
Q

Cordyceps pathogenesis in ant

A
  1. invades brain of ant
  2. forces ant to walk up to a high point on vegetation
  3. kills ant by sprouting from its body (long hyphae type structure)
  4. spores are released (aerosolized) to spread to other ants
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34
Q

Fungi are non-____, which means the have to reproduce via ____ dissemination of ___

A

non-motile; passive dissemination; spores

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35
Q

True or false: some fungi can produce both asexual and sexual spores

A

True

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36
Q

What are some means of spore dissemination?

A

wind, gardening, construction, lawn mower, etc.

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37
Q

Hyphae

A

microscopic, long, branching filaments

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38
Q

True or false: hyphae are the same thing as yeasts

A

False (they are distinct from each other!!)

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39
Q

Mycelium

A

tangled mass of hyphae that can grow to huge proportions

40
Q

Armillaria species (honey fungus) is well known because:

A

it has grown over 2000 acres underground in Oregon; largest organism on Earth

41
Q

___ are asexual spores

A

Conidia

42
Q

True or false: fungi are everywhere, and infections are common, but only a very small percentage of all fungi cause human disease

A

True

43
Q

Yeasts are ____, ___ or ____

A

unicellular, oval or round

44
Q

2 asexual reproductive modes of yeast

A
  1. cell budding (asymmetrical)

2. fission (symmetrical)

45
Q

True or false: yeast cells can sometimes form chains, and when this happens, they become multicellular

A

False - they are still unicellular since there is no connection or cell-to-cell communication between chained cells

46
Q

Yeast sexual form of reproduction is called:

A

conjugation

47
Q

Yeast asexual forms of reproduction (2)

A

a and alpha

48
Q

True or false: Yeast life cycle can change how pathogenic they are

A

True

49
Q

Moulds form ____, which undergo ___ growth

A

hyphae; apical

50
Q

True or false: all hyphae are septate

A

false; can be septate or non-septate

51
Q

How many nuclei can molds have in their hyphae?

A

one or more (uni or multi-nucleate)

52
Q

When moulds branch, they can form what kinds of angles?

A

Acute + right angles

53
Q

True or false: molds form different types of hyphae

A

True

54
Q

Characteristics of hyphae (how are they different/distinct)?

A
  1. septate vs aseptate
  2. hyaline vs dematiaceous (clear vs pigmented)
  3. branching or non-branching
  4. angle of branching (acute or not)
55
Q

Fungi can have an organelle called _____ which allows for apical growth of hyphae

A

Spitzenkorper

56
Q

Vegetative hyphae

A

form that gathers nutrients

57
Q

aerial hyphae

A

reproductive form

58
Q

True or false: hyphae can be very distinctive looking and can be diagnostic

A

True

59
Q

All sexual fungal life cycles consist of _____ and is followed by _____.

A

plasmogamy; karyogamy

60
Q

True or false: the transition between plasmogamy and karyogamy is usually rapid

A

False - it can be, or it can take up to years. Depends heavily on the right environmental conditions for karyogamy to follow

61
Q

Molds can have what kind of life cycles?

A

both sexual and asexual

62
Q

Describe the asexual life cycle of molds

A
  1. conidia (asexual spores) undergo swelling and apical growth to form a germling
  2. germling elongates and branches to form hyphae
  3. hyphae continue to form and tangles to form mycelium
  4. conidiophore can form within mycelium and disperse more conidia thru wind or disruption of soil
63
Q

What are dimorphic fungi?

A

Fungi that can occur as yeast and mycelial forms

64
Q

Dimorphic fungi are usually ____ dimorphic

A

thermally

65
Q

Why is it important to study dimorphic fungi?

A

A lot of them are clinically relevant. Yeast form survives better at body temperature (37ºC)

66
Q

True or false: sexual and asexual stages of same fungus have different names

A

True

67
Q

Name commonly used for naming the species of fungus for clinical purposes

A

Anamorph (according to asexual reprod.)

68
Q

____ ____ are often critical diagnostic importance

A

Asexual structures

69
Q

Most human pathogenic fungi produce _____ ____ as the reproductive and infectious propagule

A

asexual conidia

70
Q

Major fungal phyla were traditionally based on ____ ____ ____. Now, it’s mainly ___.

A

sexual reproductive structures; genetics

71
Q

Three major fungal phyla:

A
  1. Ascomycetes
  2. Basidiomycetes
  3. Zygomycetes (group that contains mucormycota)
72
Q

Ascomycetes

A

8 sexual spores inside ascus

73
Q

Basidiomycetes

A

4 sexual spores externally on basidium

74
Q

Basidium

A

little pedestal

75
Q

Ascus

A

sac

76
Q

True or false: basidiospores, ascospores, and zygospores are sexual propagules and do meiosis

A

True

77
Q

Zygospore arises from ___ ___ and are ____

A

sexual conjugation; diploid

78
Q

Conidiophore arises from ____

A

hyphae

79
Q

Blastic conidia

A

parent cell enlarges first and then conidium is visible before the septum is laid down to separate parent and daughter cell

80
Q

Thallic conidia

A

Septum is formed before differentiation into conidium occurs

81
Q

Arthroconidia

A

Septa are laid down, become conidia, and then fragment into individualized cells

82
Q

_-___ is often targeted by antifungals in Candida cell wall

A

Beta-glucan

83
Q

Pathology of fungal cell wall

A

Can be irritants, can activate complement, immunogenic, allergenic, immunopathogenic, immunomodulatory

84
Q

Pathogenesis of fungal cell wall

A

Signaling, morphogenesis, pathogenicity are altered in response to the host: can attach to host cells and form biofilms which increases resistance to antifungals

85
Q

Diagnostics of fungal cell wall

A

staining properties, antigenicity that can indicate the type of fungus causing infection

86
Q

True or false: ascomycetes, deuteromycetes, basidiomycetes, and zygomycetes all have chitin in their fibrillar layer and differ in whether they have glucans in fibrillar or matrix layer

A

True

87
Q

____ are harder to treat because they lack some common drug targets

A

Zygomycetes

88
Q

What antifungal targets are particularly sensitive in fungi?

A

ergosterol, unique polysaccharides like glucans

89
Q

Major classes of antifungal drugs

A
  1. membrane function
  2. cell wall synthesis (echinocandins)
  3. ergosterol synthesis (azoles + allylamines)
  4. nucleic acid synthesis (pyrimidine analog)
90
Q

Amphotericin B is a ____

A

polyene

91
Q

Amphotericin B is both:

A

amphoteric and amphipathic

92
Q

Amphotericin B works as an antifungal by:

A

forming a pore/channel which lyses fungal cell

93
Q

True or false: spectrum of azoles depends greatly on the agent

A

True

94
Q

Mechanism of azoles:

A

blocks synthesis of ergosterol in fungal membrane which causes accumulation of toxic sterol precursors in the cytoplasm

95
Q

True or false: with azoles, you have to match the agent to the fungus

A

True

96
Q

Echinocandins mechanism

A

non-competitively inhibits beta-1,3-glucan synthase enzyme complex, which prevents resistance against osmotic forces and causes cell lysis

97
Q

Echinocandins spectrum

A

most yeast species but is not the best choice for Aspergillus (since it’s just fungistatic)

MICROM 460 (20 decks)

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