Week 8 Flashcards
(122 cards)
3 yeasts
Candida
Cryptococcus
Pneumocystis
Hyaline Mould (1)
Aspergillus
Dimorphic fungus (6)
Blastomyces Histoplasma Coccidioides Candida Sporothrix Paracoccidioides
Mucorales (3)
Mucor, Rhizopus, Rhizomucor
Key features of fungi
- Eukaryotic organisms
- Consume oxygen via oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria
- Cell membrane and external cell wall
_______ makes up the cell wall of fungal membranes
2 enzymes important in the synthesis and drugs that mess with them
Ergosterol = major sterol of fungal cell membranes
Synthesis:
-Squalene epoxidase: squalene → oxidosqualene (targeted by allylamines)
-14 a-demethylase: lanosterol → ergosterol (targeted by azoles)
Polyenes
bind to synthesized ergosterol and disrupt interactions within cell membrane → increases membrane permeability
Fungal cell wall
external to cell membrane, made up of proteins and polysaccharides (mannan, glucan chitin)
Fungal cell wall contains _________ which interferes with DNA and RNA synthesis
cytosine deaminase
Mold
multicellular fungal colonies → HYPHAE = long tubular structures formed by multiple fungal cells lined up end to end
Hyphae grow towards a food source
Griseofulvin
inhibit fungal cell mitotic spindle → inhibition of mitosis and hyphae growth
Echinocandins
Glucan synthesized by 1,3 B-glucan synthase → inhibited by Echinocandins → cell wall instability
Yeast
single-celled fungus, replicate by budding
Pseudohyphae
Pseudohyphae
formed when buds fail to break off original yeast cell, forming long chains that resemble hyphae
present in yeast
Dimorphic fungi have what characteristics in the heat vs. cold?
mold in the cold, yeast in the heat (except Candida)
Cryptococcus: Main features (4)
Thick capsule, round
NOT dimorphic
Urease +
Yeast
Cryptococcus: Transmission
Transmission via inhalation - form soil and pigeon droppings
→ infect respiratory tract then disseminate hematogenously → localizes in CNS
Cryptococcus:
Host risk factors:
Opportunistic infection, but can cause disease occasionally in “normal” hosts
**AIDS
prolonged glucocorticoids, organ transplant, malignancy, sarcoid
**impaired cellular immunity*
Cryptococcus:
disease? (2)
1) Meningoencephalitis
2) Pulmonary cryptococcus
Meningoencephalitis
Due to hematogenous spread (typically from lungs)
Cryptococcus is NON INFLAMMATORY → many organisms, few PMNs→ obstruct CSF flow and increased intracranial pressure
Indolent course - 2 weeks of fever, malaise, headache
“Soap bubble” intraparenchymal lesions due to gelatinous pseudocysts that contain fungi
Pulmonary cryptococcus
asymptomatic or present with nonspecific symptoms (cough, hemoptysis, dyspnea, chest pain)
Cryptococcus:
Diagnosis (6)
1) Latex agglutination
2) India ink stain of CSF - shows polysaccharide capsule CLEAR under microscopy
3) Mucicarmine stain - specific for cryptococcus, appear pink
4) Culture on Sabouraud agar
5) Grows on Birdseed agar
6) CRAG = cryptococcal antigen test
cryptococcal antigen test (CRAG)
detects capsular polysaccharide
Highly sensitive, specific, cheap and fast
TEST OF CHOICE for cryptococcus
Treatment of cryptococcus
High mortality
Amphotericin B + Flucytosine (fungicidal) for meningitis + Fluconazole (fungistatic) for long term suppression in immunosuppressed patients