Chapter 22

Fungal Diseases

CONTENTS

I.    CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

II.   TECHNICAL NAMES

III.  INTERNET SITES TO SEARCH


I.   CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

  • What is the difference between a mold and a yeast?
  • How many fungal species so far reported?
  • How many fungal species are involved in animal diseases?
  • Explain what is mycosis
  • What is a true fungal pathogen?
  • Discuss the general changes associated with thermal dimorphism in fungi
  • Are fungi saprobic in their natural habitat?
  • Are fungi parasitic while in an animal habitat?
  • What is thermal dimorphism? 
  • What is the estimated percentage for the incidence of ringworms in humans?
  • Does thermal dimorphism increase virulence in pathogenic fungi?
  • Is the human body tolerant to fungal infection? If not, explain.
  • Name three pathogenic fungi 
  • List three categories of fungal infections in the human body
  • Are vaccines available and effective? If not, why? 
  • What is the causative agent of the Ohio Valley Fever?
  • What is its geographical distribution?
  • Explain what is histoplasmin
  • Why guano promotes the multiplication of this fungal species?
  • How does this fungal species express in humans?
  • See fig 22.7. Source of infection?
  • How does it harbor inside macrophages?
  • Major antibiotic to control histoplasmosis 
  • What does Coccidioides immitis cause?
  • Explain why it is considered the most virulent of all mycotic diseases
  • Draw a arhroconidia and what does it produce?
  • How many cases are reported annually in the USA?
  • What are the symptoms of this disease?
  • How is coccidioidomycosis controlled?
  • Who are more at risk of acquiring this emerging disease?
  • See fig 22.8 and study the cycle
  • How are skin tests performed on humans? 
  • What is Blastomyces?
  • Causative agent of blastomyces
  • Where does this fungal species inhabit?
  • How do the spores of Blastomyses look like?
  • What socio-ethnic-economic group is mostly affected by this species?
  • What is the infectious dose for Blastomyces dermatitis?
  • How is it controlled? 
  • Describe what is paracoccidioidomycosis?
  • What is the causative organism?
  • Where does it come from? (Geographical region)
  • What type of medicines are used for its control? 
  • Describe what is sporotrichosis
  • What is the causative agent of this disease?
  • Explain where the fungi thrive
  • Explain the disease lymphocutaneous sprorotrichosis
  • Is it a rare infection?
  • Is potassium iodine effective in controlling it?
  • Role of heat in controlling this fungal pathogen 
  • What is chromoblastomycosis?
  • Causative agent?
  • This disease is usually confused with what other diseases?
  • Explain therapy to control this fungus
  • Explain the term phaeohypomycoses, what is it an oddity in medical science? 
  • Causative agent of mycetoma or madura foot 
  • List some diseases involved in cutaneous mycoses
  • Explain the morphology of these pathogens
  • List three important genera of fungi involved in dermal diseases
  • Why some disease are called ringworm? (Is it a protozoa?)
  • List various diseases caused by the genus Tinea 
  • What is candidiasis?
  • Causative organism?
  • Where does it occur/
  • Explain what is vulvovaginal candidiasis
  • What areas are more prone to infection by this fungal species?
  • How is it diagnose?
  • Is it an opportunistic pathogen?
  • What is the therapy to follow?
  • Can it be detected in a PAP smear? 
  • What is cryptococcosis?
  • Causative agent?
  • What are the symptoms?
  • How is it controlled?
  • Can it cause death? 
  • Can Aspergillus cause infection in humans?
  • What is "fungus-balls"? 
  • Explain what are mucormycosis
  • What is the causative agent of geotrichosis?
  • What is this fungus do to humans? 
  • Explain what are mycotoxicoses
  • Explain what are aflatoxins
  • Are aflatoxins common?
  • Actinomyces and Nocardia bacterial species, how do they mimic diseases caused by fungi? Two examples of diseases caused by them.  

II.   TECHNICAL TERMS

  • Actinomycosis
  • Aflatoxin
  • Arthroconidia
  • Black piedra
  • Blastomycosis
  • Candidiasis
  • Coccidioimycoses
  • Cryptoccosis
  • Cutaneous candidiasis
  • Dermatophytes
  • Histoplasmosis
  • Mucormycosis
  • Mycoses
  • Mycoses
  • Ohio Valley Fever
  • Onychomycosis
  • Opportunistic fungal pathogen
  • Primary pathogen
  • Ringworms
  • Rose-gardener's disease
  • Spherules
  • Thermal dimorphism
  • Thrush
  • True pathogen
  • Vulvovaginal yeast infection
  • White piedra
     

III.    INTERNET SITES TO SEARCH

  • Cryptococcosis
  • Candidiasis
  • Ringworm infections
  • Histoplasmosis
  • Blastomycosis