Clinical presentations of dimorphic fungal infections — Flashcards

Flashcard 1: The yeast cells of **Blastomyces** are __________ a red blood cell (RBC).

Answer: the same size as (larger than/smaller than/the same size as)

Flashcard 2: Which fungal infection is characterized by a yeast form with multiple buds that radiate out from a central vacuole?_____

Answer: Paracoccidioidomycosis

Flashcard 3: Branching hyphae of Sporothrix schenckii can be grown at _____ degrees celsius

Answer: 25

Flashcard 4: Mississippi river valley and Ohio river valley are buzzwords for which fungus?_____

Answer: Histoplasma capsulatum

Flashcard 5: Histoplasma is _____, meaning the temperature of its surroundings determines the form of the fungus

Answer: dimorphic

Flashcard 6: What fungus is actually a reverse of the dimorphic adage,with yeast in the cold and mold in the heat?_____

Answer: Candida albicans

Flashcard 7: Branching hyphae similar to that of rose bushes are classically seen in _____

Answer: Sporothrix schenckii (what fungus?)

Flashcard 8: What is the morphology of Sporothrix schenckii in tissue?

Answer: Dimorphic fungus; seen as cigar-shaped budding yeasts in tissue.

Extra: • Causes Rose Gardener's Disease (lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis). • Treatment: Itraconazole (DOC) or Potassium Iodide (SSKI). • Dimorphism: Mold at 25°C (daisy-like conidia), Yeast at 37°C (cigar-shaped).

Flashcard 9: Dimorphic fungi exhibit a _____ morphology at ambient temperature and _____ morphology at body temperature.

Answer: mold

Flashcard 10: What type of fungus is Histoplasma capsulatum based on its growth characteristics?

Answer: Dimorphic fungus

Extra: - Transmission: Inhalation of spores from soil contaminated with bird or bat droppings (Mississippi and Ohio River valleys). - Clinical: Histoplasmosis (calcified granulomas in lungs, hepatosplenomegaly). - Treatment: - Local/Mild: Itraconazole - Systemic/Severe: Amphotericin B - Key feature: Macrophages filled with small intracellular yeast.