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microbiology > lecture 14) human fungal pathogens > Flashcards

lecture 14) human fungal pathogens Flashcards

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1
Q

in what type of people are fungal infections most dangerous?

A

immunocompromised

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2
Q

what type of organisms are fungi?

A

eukaryotic

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3
Q

where and how is DNA in fungal cells stored?

A

DNA in chromosomes in nucleus

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4
Q

why are fungal infections harder to treat than bacterial and viral infections?

A

treatments for infections involve targeting essential processes of the cell to deem them unharmful
as fungal cells are eukaryoties, their essential processes would be the same as ours

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5
Q

how do fungi feed?

A

absorb nutrients by breaking down organic material into simple molecules using hydrolytic enzymes

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6
Q

what type of fungi are moulds?

A

filamentous

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7
Q

how quick can filamentous spores grow?

A

3 days (v quick)

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8
Q

name 3 types of fungi

A

moulds
yeasts
dimorphic

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9
Q

describe the cell composition of yeasts

A

mainly unicellular

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10
Q

do all yeasts bud?

A

no

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11
Q

what is a dimorphic fungi?

A

fungi that switches between 2 forms in response to changes in the environment

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12
Q

what is a key virulence factor of dimorphic fungi?

A

their ability to switch morphology

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13
Q

what are the 3 types of diseases that fungi can cause?

A 
superficial mycoses (skin, hair, nails, mucous membranes)
subcutaneous mycoses (through wound)
deep seated/systemic mycoses (single deep organ or disseminated)
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14
Q

what sort of diseases are subcunateous fungal diseases?

A

rare tropical diseases

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15
Q

what is a primary pathogen?

A

directly cause disease

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16
Q

what is an opportunistic pathogen?

A

in normal situations the pathogen wont cause disease but in certain situations they will

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17
Q

what are the infection of dermatophytes like?

A

superficial infection of skin, hair or nails

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18
Q

what are the 3 genera that cause dermtophyte infections?

A

microsporum sp.
epidermophyton sp.
trichophyton sp.

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19
Q

what is the morphology of dermatophytes?

A

filamentous

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20
Q

where do dermatophytes come from?

A

soil, animals, people

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21
Q

what do dermatophytes produce?

A

keratinase
digest keratin as growth substance
infect keratin rich tissues

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22
Q

name the 3 groups dermatophytes are divided into based on habitat

A

anthropophillic
zoophillic
geophillic

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23
Q

what are anthropophillic dermatophytes?

A

reservoir and host is man

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24
Q

what are zoophillic dermatophytes?

A

reservoir is animales, can infect man

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25
what are geophillic dermatophytes?
found in soil | occasionally pathogenic
26
what group of dermatophytes give the most serious infection?
zoophillic | not used to seeing them in the human body therefore a more enhanced inflammatory response is induced
27
what type of classification is used for dermatophytes?
non-mycological | aka non-phylogenetic
28
candida is a normal commensal organism. what does this mean?
commensal means that both parties benefit in cohabitation meaning the human body and candida both benefit when in each others presence
29
where is candida present in the body?
50% in mouth and GI tract | 20% women in genital tract
30
are all candidas related?
cannot assume that the name candida means they are phylogenetically related
31
what are the sires of superficial infection of candida?
mouth, vagina, penis, skin, nails
32
name 3 predisposing factors of candida infections
antibiotics diabetes (candida thrive in sugary environments) pregnant women (hormone imbalances)
33
who are at risk to candida infections?
normal individuals as it is a commensal organism that already lives within us doesnt take much to tip it to be pathogenic
34
what could reoccurring vaginal thrush caused by candida be due to?
immune responses that cause symptoms of thrush
35
how do subcutaneous mycoses cause infection?
inhabitants of soil and vegetation | introduced into the body via puncture wounds
36
how quickly do subcutaneous mycoses infections take to develop?
months to years
37
why are they hard to treat?
where they occur is normally in developing countries that have limited facilities
38
why are subcutaneous mycoses infections not very responsive to treatment?
regular antifungal treatment made for more common infections in the western, more developed world which are used to treat different infections eg thrust
39
what type of pathogens do invasive mycoses cause infections and which ones kill you?
primary pathogens cuase disease but can be mild | opportunistic pathogens kill people
40
why dont we hear about invasive mycoses infections?
mainly found in developing countries that may not have the infrastructure to report the cases
41
what is the impact of better medical intervention on fungal infections?
better medical intervention means more people who are immunocompromised meaning more people being susceptible to fungal diseases
42
where are invasive mycoses found in the world?
geographically limited none in the UK common in endemic regions
43
what does thermally dimorphic mean?
found in environment in soil etc
44
what type of disease do invasive mycoses cause?
asymptomatic (no symptoms) generally mild infections if there are symptoms it will be a respiratory infection more serious infections are seen in immunocompromised patients
45
what sites in the bodt do deep-seated disseminated infections occur?
single organ or widespread (disseminated)
46
what are the predisposing factors of deep-seated candida infections?
seriously immunocompromised hosts eg neutropenic, organ and bone marrow transplant, cancer
47
what routes of infection does deep-seated candida infections have?
burns patients abdominal surgery catheter
48
what type of diseases does candida auris cause?
superficial and systemic diseases
49
what are the key concerns of candida auris?
multi-drug resistance misdiagnosis hospital outbreaks
50
do most species of aspergillosis cause disease?
most of them dont cause disease | only 2-3 species do
51
what are the routes of infection of aspergillosis?
inhalation of spores
52
how do we get infections of aspergillosis?
ubiquitous fungus
53
what is the route of infection for cryptococcosis?
inhalation | sexual cycle produces small spores
54
although cryptococcosis is dimorphic, how does it grow in patients?
grows as capsulate yeast in patients
55
where is cryptococcosis found?
pigeon droppings soil avian habitats
56
what diseases does cryptococcosis cause?
``` pulmonary cryptococcosis (often no symptoms, chronic, lies dormant, see relapses) meningitis in immunocompromised (once in blood it can target the brain) ```
57
what disease does pneumocystis cause and what are its symptoms?
pneumocystis pneumonia (dry cough, shortness of breath) respiratory infection in immunocompromised patients route of infection is inhalation
58
why might pneumocystis be non-culturable in vitro?
lacks most of the genes needed for amino acid synthesis
59
how come pneumocystis was originally classed as a protozoan?
life cycle of a proteozoan but when sequencing the genome it is a fungus
60
why should we be thankful for pneumocystis?
led us to the first ever report of AIDs

microbiology (17 decks)

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