Week 11- Eukaryotic pathogens

Question 1

List 3 common characteristics of protozoa

Answer 1

Eukaryotic

Single celled

No cell wall

Question 2

What 3 structures allow protozoa to be motile?

Answer 2

Flagella

Cilia

Pseudopodia (False foot)

Question 3

Describe how protozoa are pathogenic

Answer 3

Tissue damage-cells that they destroy-cytotoxic effect

response of our own immune response-inflammation

hide from our immune system

Question 4

Differentiate between the cyst and trophozoite forms of a pathogenic protozoa
cyst

Answer 4

dormant, waiting for new host- not infectious

Question 5

Differentiate between the cyst and trophozoite forms of a pathogenic protozoa

Trop

Answer 5

active, feeding form (eating us) active

could poop out or mosquito

Question 6

What are the 3 MAIN ways protozoa are transmitted to humans so they can cause infection?

Answer 6

Direct contact-skin,eyes sex

ingestion-water/food

vector-bugs

Question 7

What is a fungal spore and what is the clinical significance?

Answer 7

Allows for fungus to move onto new host and reproduce

resistant stage allows fro fungus to be resistant to heat or other adverse environments

Question 8

Most fungal infections are what type of infection? Why are most of them considered this type of infection?

Answer 8

opportunistic

normally don’t cause disease, but will under right circumstances (immunocompromised)

Question 9

Why don’t “healthy” individuals typically get fungal infections?

Answer 9

because healthy have innate immunity that will not allow it to grow

skin and mucous membranes

Question 10

What are the most common types of fungal infections in “healthy” people?

Answer 10

-blastomyces dermatitis

-histoplasma capsulatum

-coccidiodes immitis

-paracoccidiodes brasilensis

Question 11

What are the main ways fungi are pathogenic?

Answer 11

Breaches innate immunity and travel to other tissues

dimorphism

enzyme

capsule

Question 12

What is dimorphism?

Answer 12

spores changing shape based on if its inside body and outside body

filamentous & Yeast

Question 13

Filamentous- dimorphism

Answer 13

Allows to live outside of body and in cooler temps

Question 14

Yeast- dimorphism

Answer 14

allows to live in body in warmer temps

Question 15

Which dimorphism form is pathogenic to humans?

Answer 15

Yeast

Question 16

What does it mean if a fungus is a “TRUE” pathogen?

Answer 16

pathogenic -causing disease in any person (not opportunistic)

Question 17

How are fungal infections that are true pathogens transmitted?

Answer 17

inhalation of spores

Question 18

What is the primary type of infection all of the true pathogens will cause?

Answer 18

pulmonary infection that disseminates to rest of body via blood

Systemic

Question 19

What type of patient is at most risk of severe complications/death due to these infections?

Answer 19

AIDS

Question 20

Dermatophytes infect what areas of the body? Are they contagious?

Answer 20

skin hair and nails

are contagious

Question 21

Why is it difficult to treat/heal a fungal infections in humans?

Answer 21

resistant to t cells

Similar to human cells

Question 22

Cryptosporidium parvum

Answer 22

starts in animal feces—humans get it by drinking contaminated water or poor hygiene (oral-fecal route). Parasite goes to intestine and can cause severe diarrhea that can last up to 2 weeks (along with headache, muscular pain, cramping, severe fluid and water loss)—commonly from drinking infected water but fecal-oral transmission can occur. Can be fatal in AIDS patients

Question 23

Trypanosoma cruzi

Answer 23

causes Chagas disease-transmitted by “kissing fly” (swelling at site of bite, fever, swollen lymph nodes, myocarditis, enlargement of spleen, esophagus and colon)—can lead to congestive heart failure

Question 24

Trypanosoma brucei

Answer 24

vector is tsetse fly causes African Sleeping sickness (first lesion is formed at bite wound; then parasite triggers fever, swelling of lymph nodes and headache; finally, invasion of nervous system causes meningoencephalitis—headaches, extreme drowsiness, abnormal neurological function and death)

Question 25

Trichomonis vaginalis

Answer 25

lives in vulva or vagina of women and urethras and prostate of men (mostly asymptomatic men); causes vaginitis in women (pus filled, odorous discharge, pain) —transmitted via sex

Question 26

Toxoplasma gondii

Answer 26

Cats can be a host (also can get this by ingesting infected meat) The protozoa can cross placenta to fetus causing severe complications such as spontaneous abortion. Infected people can have fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and muscle pain or be asymptomatic

Question 27

Plasmodium species

Answer 27

mosquito is vector and it causes malaria (infects RBC’s and causes fever, chills, headache, diarrhea—some types are fatal!)

Question 28

Leishmania

Answer 28

transmitted by sand fly-- causes skin ulcers that can be infected with bacteria (Baghdad boil) –lesions may encompass mucous membranes of mouth, nose or soft palate (cutaneous form). Visceral form can invade liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes (fatal)

Question 29

Giardia intestinalis

Answer 29

usually transmitted by drinking contaminated water--causes severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, foul smelling stools (rotten egg smell)/ called “beaver fever” because beavers are resevoirs

Question 30

Entamoeba histolytica

Answer 30

usually caused by drinking contaminated drinking water infected with feces; can cause dysentery (severe diarrhea, colitis, appendicitis and ulceration of intestine). Bloody, mucus containing stools and pain are characteristic. Can be FATAL—if it travels to liver, lung, spleen, kidneys and brain.

Question 31

Aspergillus species (Aspergillosis)

Answer 31

most people have allergy type symptoms but it is an opportunistic systemic mycoses that affects lungs (acute invasive form can cause fever, cough and pain presenting like pneumonia) and can form abscesses in brain, kidneys, heart, bone and GI tract--—healthy people require no treatment

Question 32

Trichtophan and Microsporum species (tinea pedis/tinea corporis /tinea unguium/tinea cruris /tinea capitis

Answer 32

athlete’s foot/ formerly called “ringworm” because it causes superficial raised, red, ring-like lesions on skin surfaces/nail infection/jock itch/infection of hair follicle and scalp

Question 33

Pneumocystis jiroveci

Answer 33

one of the more common causes of pneumonia in AIDS patients—widespread inflammation, fever, difficulty breathing and non-productive cough (almost diagnostic for AIDS). Fatal in AIDS patients if left untreated.

Question 34

Malassezia furfur

Answer 34

causes depigmented or hyperpigmented patches of scaly skin—it interferes with melanin production (called pityriasis)

Question 35

Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gatti

Answer 35

can infect AIDS or immunocompetent individuals—inhalation takes fungus to lungs but most significant clinical form is meningitis (headache, dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, vomiting, neck stiffness) that can be fatal. This fungus has a capsule that contributes to pathogenicity. Also has a pulmonary and cutaneous form. Pulmonary form can be mild to severe—can have chronic pneumonia where cough and pulmonary lesions persist for years

Question 36

Candida albicans (Candidiasis)

Answer 36

all cases are due to opportunistic infection—can also be contagious; causes thrush (oral infection that can be transferred from mother to baby by breastfeeding), UTI and vaginal yeast infection—can be systemic in immunocomprimised patients—go to lungs and other organs (meninges, liver, heart)

Question 37

Blastomyces dermatididis (Blastomycosis)

Answer 37

this is a “true” fungal pathogen—it causes pulmonary infection(muscle aches, cough, fever, chills, and weight loss as well as lesions in the lungs), cutaneous infection (painless wart like or crater like lesions on the face and upper body) It can an also infect bones and joints as well as the CNS.