Medical Mycology Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Medical Mycology Deck (14)
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1
Q

What are the two structural types of fungi?

A

Yeasts - unicellular

Molds - filamentous, multicellular

2
Q

What are hyphae?

A

Branching structures of molds which are either coenocytes or septate

Can be vegetative, reproductive, or aerial

3
Q

What is the characteristic pathogenic factor of Candida albicans?

A

Adhesins

4
Q

What is the characteristic pathogenic factor of C. neoformans?

A

Antiphagocytic capsule

5
Q

What is the characteristic pathogenic factor of H. capsulatum?

A

Ability to survive in macrophage

6
Q

How do most mycotic infections occur?

A

Lack of host resistance rather than destructive or invasive factors in the fungal pathogen

7
Q

How are fungal infections classified?

A

According to the tissues that are initially colonized by them

E.g. superficial, cutaneous, systemic

8
Q

What is a KOH mount?

A

Solution of KOH allows fungi to be observed under light microscope with or without staining

9
Q

What is a Calciflor white stain?

A

Rapid, detects fungal cell wall chitin by bright fluorescence

Used for all fungi

10
Q

What is a Periodic acid - Schiff reagent stain?

A

Histologic stain for fungi

Periodic acid forms aldehyde from chitin, Schiff reagent reacts with aldehyde to form redy dye

Stains both yeasts and hyphae

11
Q

What is a Gomori Methenamine Silver Stain?

A

Detects fungi in histologic sections and Pneumocystis jirovecii cysts in respiratory specimens

Best stain for detecting all fungi

12
Q

How do most fungi appear on a gram stain?

A

Gram positive

However, some appear gram-negative (C. neoformans)

13
Q

What is a Giemsa stain?

A

Detects intracellular Histoplasma capsulatum and both intracystic and trophic forms of Pneumocystis jirovecii

Can stain other organisms

14
Q

What is the most commonly used agar for culturing of fungi?

A

Sabouraud’s Agar