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Mycology Flashcards

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1
Q

What are fungi considered?

A

they are eukaryotes

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2
Q

What is the role fungus?

A

important pieces of our ecosystem that aid in decomposition of organic matter and help free up nutrients for plants to uptake

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3
Q

What is the “wood wide web”?

A

fungal mycelia connect plants through a network that shares nutrients and signals between plants

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4
Q

What kind of infection does fungi cause?

A

often opportunistic infections

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5
Q

What is fungus?

A

an organism that is either filamentous (mold) or unicellular (yeast) and lacks chlorophyll; it has a true nucleus enclosed in a membrane and chitin in the cell wall

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6
Q

What is mycology?

A

the study of fungi and their biology

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7
Q

What is mycoses?

A

infections causes by fungi (cutaneous, subcutaneous, systemic, opportunistic)

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8
Q

What are the two kinds of fungi?

A

mold and yeast

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9
Q

How do fungi reproduce?

A

sexually OR asexually

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10
Q

What is inside a fungi cell wall?

A

chitin, glucans, mannoproteins; and cytoplasmic membrane contains ergosterol

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11
Q

How do fungi get nutrients?

A

they absorb them from the environment; like moist and dead/decaying matter

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12
Q

At what temperature do fungi grow best?

A

25-30 degrees C

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13
Q

What is yeast?

A

a king of fungi that is unicellular

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14
Q

How does yeast reproduce?

A

budding or fission

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15
Q

What kind of colonies does yeast grow?

A

soft, pasty, smooth colonies; stains purple in gram stain and larger than bacteria

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16
Q

What is the growth rate of yeast?

A

24-72 hours

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17
Q

What are some examples of yeasts?

A

candida, cryptococcus, trichosporon, saccharomyces, rhondotorula

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18
Q

What is mold?

A

a fungi that is multicellular

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19
Q

How do molds reproduce?

A

by producing conidia

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20
Q

What are hyphae (mold)?

A

long filaments of fungal cells

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21
Q

What are mycelia (mold)?

A

mat of intertwined hyphae

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22
Q

What colonies does mold produce?

A

filamentous colonies that are fuzzy, woolly, or velvety

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23
Q

What is the growth rate for mold?

A

varies based on organism; rapid, moderate, or slow

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24
Q

What are the two kinds of hyphae?

Study These Flashcards
A

septate hyphae: with cross-wall
aseptate: no cross-walls (broad and ribbon like)

25
What are conidia?
asexual structures that form on the side or end of a hyphae or conidiophore (microconidia and macroconidia)
26
How are we exposed to fungi?
via inhalation or inoculation into the skin, sometimes endogenous source, sometimes person to person spread
27
Why are fungi important?
deaths due to invasive mycosis increased
28
What are the risk factors for invasive fungal infections?
1) acute leukemia 2) hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients (HPSCT) 3) solid organ transplant recipients 4) other severe and prolonged immunosuppression
29
What are high risk patient categories for fungal infections?
transplants, cancer, burns, neutropenic, diabetes, corticosteroids, intensive care, indwelling catheters, HIV, very young, antibiotic use
30
What infections are associated with fungi?
upper respiratory, ear, eye, lower respiratory, genitourinary, intra-abdominal, cardiovascular, central nervous system, skin and soft tissue, bone and joint, hematogenous, prosthetic joint
31
What is candida albicans?
most common yeast isolated, normal flora of skin and mucosal surfaces that causes opportunistic infections in those that take antibiotics or the immunocompromised
32
What infections does candida albicans cause?
thrush, vulvovaginitis, skin "intertrigo", urinary tract, bloodstream infections-nosocomial (candemia)
33
What is candida auris?
emerging fungus, can cause severe infections, poses a serious global health threat
34
What does cryptococcus neoformans cause?
opportunistic infections like meningitis especially in AIDS/immunocompromised patients
35
Where is cryptococcus neoformans found?
NOT formal flora; found worldwide in soil and pigeon droppings
36
What does cryptococcus neoformans uniquely produce?
a polysaccharide capsule that can be observed via the india ink test (causes halo around yeast cell)
37
What is pneumocystis jirovecii?
not really yeast and not really mold but it IS a fungus
38
What does pneumocystis jirovecii cause?
respiratory infections almost exclusively in immunocompromised patients, especially those with HIV
39
What are dermatophytes?
molds that are common causes of superficial and cutaneous mycoses
40
What do dermatophytes do?
digest keratin and infect hair, skin or nails
41
How are dermatophytes spread?
person to person, animal to person, and from fomites
42
What diseases do dermatophytes cause?
the "tineas"; tinea pedis, corporis, capitis, unguium, and barbae
43
Where are opportunistic (saprophytic) molds found?
nature or environment
44
What is aspergillus fumigatus?
found in the environment, most common fungal contaminant in the lab
45
What does aspergillus fumigatus cause?
respiratory infections and systemic infections in immunocompromised patients
46
What does aspergillus fumigatus look like?
marge simpson's hair
47
What is rhizopus?
one of the fungi in the order of mucorales found in decaying vegetation
48
What does rhizopus cause?
life-threatening disease in immunocompromised and diabetes patients - "lid lifters" due to how fast the grow
49
What are dimorphic fungi?
fungi that grow in two forms; yeast in human body/lab, mold at room temperature/environment
50
What is blastomyces dermatitidis?
causes blastomycosis - infection in the lungs and can disseminate into the skin, nones, and CNS
51
How do we identify blastomyces dermatitidis?
in yeast phase - "broad-based budding yeast" in mold phase - "lollipop-like"
52
What does coccidioides immitis cause?
coccidioidomycosis - flu-like illness (fever, cough, headache, malaise, myalgia), rash, and joint pain
53
What does coccidiodes immitis look like in the body?
its spherule and contains endospores
54
What does histoplasma capsulatum cause?
histoplasmosis (darling's disease/cave disease) that causes pulmonary and disseminated infections if not asymptomatic (uncommon)
55
How do we identify histoplasma capsulatum?
yeast phase - small budding yeast mold phase - "tuberculate macroconidia"
56
How do we diagnose fungal infection?
often clinical based on symptoms and patient history then lab test to confirm
57
What does lab testing for fungi look like?
collection of specimen source, then test via stains, cultures, histology, molecular diagnostics, serological assays, and direct microscopic exams (most common)
58
What is exerohilum?
fungal meningitis due to exerohilum rostratum

Microbiology (26 decks)

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