ILA 1 Intro to Fungi Flashcards
What are fungi?
- Non-motile eukaryotes
- Cell wall - polysaccharides and glycoproteins
- Macroscopic: mushrooms, puffballs, gill fungi
- Microscopic: molds, yeasts
- Can be unicellular, colonial, complex/multicellular
What are the two fundamental forms of Fungi?
Yeast and Mold
What are the characteristics of mold?
- Hyphal form
- multicellular
- reproduce by condida (spores)
- thread-like hyphae (septate or non-septate
- fuzzy colonies on agar (mycelia)
What are the characteristics of yeast?
- Budding form
- Unicellular
- reproduce by budding or fission
- may elongate to form pseudohyphae - buzzword for Candida sp.
- mucoid colonies on agar
What are dimorphic yeast?
- Saprophytic mycelial form at room temp and parasitic yeast form at body temp
- most of the human pathogenic fungi
Differentiate between sporangiospores and conidiospores.
Sporangiospores are contained in a “sac” called the sporangium and must burst open the sac to be released
Conidiospores look like a dandylion and are readily released
What are the four major types of fungal infxn?
- Superficial and cutaneous
- Subcutaneous
- Endemic
- Opportunistic pathogens
What is an example of a superficial and cutaneous fungal infxn?
- Athletes foot
- Onychomycosis
What is an example of a subcutaneous fungal infxn?
Sporotrichosis - “rose gardener’s disease” - usually results from trauma
Involve skin, subcutaneous tissue, & lymphatic but rarely disseminates
What are endemic fungal infxns?
Dimorphic fungi that can cause systemic disease in healthy individuals
What are some example of opportunistic fungal infxns?
- Histoplasmosis
- Blastomycosis
- Cryptococcosis
Cause life-threatening illness in immunocompromised pt or pt w implants
Why are fungal infections difficult to diagnose?
Many similar manifestations to other infections
How does Amphotericin B work?
- Destroys membrane function by binding sterols
- Good antifungal, but nephrotoxic
- Has been referred to as “amphoterrible”
Why is Amphotericin B lipid complex a better drug than Amphotericin B?
Little or no hematological effect or nephrotoxicity
What do you know about Amphotericin B colloidal dispersion?
- As effective as amphotericin B against Aspergillus
- Less renal toxicity
- More minor side effects (chills and fever)
