Pulmonary Fungal Infection 1

Question 1

what are the charecteristics of systemic mycoses?

Answer 1

1. all environmental
2. thermal dimorphism –> so once in the lung, it becomes dimorphism
3. not person to person transmissible

Question 2

what is the fungus that belongs to coccidioides?

Answer 2

coccidioides immitis

Question 3

what are the charecteristics of coccidiodes immitis?

Answer 3

dimorphic –> mold in soil, spherule in tissue

Question 4

what is the region where you can find coccidiodes immitis?

Answer 4

endemic in southwest US and Latin America

Question 5

in soil, coccidioide immitis forms

Answer 5

hyphae with alternating arthrospores and empty cells

Question 6

what are the four fungi that are considered as systemic mycoses?

Answer 6

1. histoplasmosis
2. blastomycosis
3. coccidioidomycosis
4. paracoccidioidomycosis

Question 7

what are the characteristics of the systemic mycoses?

Answer 7

1. all can cause pneumonia and can disseminate
2. all are caused by dimorphic fungi (cold –> mold, heat –> yeast), the only exception being coccidioidomycosis, which is spherule (not yeast in tissue)

Question 8

what is the name of the tissue form of coccidioidomycosis?

Answer 8

spherule

Question 9

what is the regional association of coccidioidomycosis?

Answer 9

southwestern US, California

Question 10

after a earthquake spores in dust are thrown up in the air and spherules in the lungs are found, what is the causative agent?

Answer 10

coccidioidomycosis

Question 11

what is spherule found from coccidioidomycosis?

Answer 11

much larger than RBC filled with endospores

Question 12

what are the clinical characteristics of coccidioidomycosis?

Answer 12

1. San Joaquin Valley fever
2. desert bumps –> erythema nodosum
3. desert rheumatism –> arthralgias

Question 13

what are the characteristics of chronic phase of the coccidioides pathogenesis?

Answer 13

innate immunity inadequate for clearance, lymphocytes and histiocytes initiate granuloma and giant cell formation
–> If CMI is healthy, infection is contained in granulomas in lung, many eventually cleared asymptomatically

–> many pts who become ill have nonspecific flulike symptoms that resolve at home

Question 14

what are the symptoms of valley fever or desert rheumatism caused by coccidioides?

Answer 14

1. fever
2. arthralgias
3. erythema nodosum
4. erythema multiforme
5. chest pain