Lecture 12

Question 1

What is an invasive fungal infection?

Answer 1

when a fungi invades the body in various ways

Question 2

Describe Cryptococcus neoformans.

Answer 2

yeast-like fungi that infects immoncopromised individuals and causes crytococcus meningitis

Question 3

How may somebody become infected with C. neoformans?

Answer 3

inhalation of desiccated cells, colonization of alveolar spaces which ends up in the brain

Question 4

What are the first cells to encounter the C. neoformans?

Answer 4

resident alveolar macrophage

Question 5

What are the three ways that C. neoformans can cross the blood brain barriers?

Answer 5

paracellular, transcellular and undercover

Question 6

What are the 4 virulence factors of C. neoformanns?

Answer 6

Polysaccharide capsule, melanin, thermotolerance, and extracellular enzymes

Question 7

Why are fungi infections difficult to target?

Answer 7

many anti-fungal treatments target eukaryotic cells so will harm human cells