Fungi & Protozoan Diseases

Ringworm

Tinea corporis (r_______ of the body)
Tinea cruris (jock itch)
Tinea capitis (ringworm of the scalp) Tinea unguium (fungal nail infection)
Are all contagious fungal infections, usually come in contact with organism from unclean environments and fomites
All can be treated with antifungal drugs but may take many weeks.
Tinea pedis (athlete's foot) can get a secondary bacterial infection

Candidiasis

C_____a albicans is part of normal flora; opportunistic.
Can cause oral thrush, vaginitis, and is the most common nosocomial fungal infection.
Possibility of systemic infection in immunocompromised people (ex. AIDS patients)

Candida auris

emerging fungal pathogen causing worldwide concern; opportunistic.
Causes serious infection in hospitalized patients -> often enters bloodstream and spreads throughout body.
Highly resistant to antifungal drugs.
Special laboratory methods are used to identify it

Vulvovaginal Candidiasis

mostly caused by Candida albicans.
Opportunistic infection; can occur with uncontrolled diabetes, change in pH, hormone change, and long-term antibiotic therapy.

Trichomoniasis

caused by a protozoan (T________as vaginalis), transmitted sexually.
Infects urogenital tract surfaces in both males and females.
Men rarely have any symptoms.
T. hominis and T. tenax are normal commensals in body.

Coccidioidomycosis

commonly caused by C_________es immitis, common in the Southwest USA.
Sometimes referred to as Valley Fever.
Spores inhaled -> usually results in mild flu like symptoms or no symptoms at all.
spherule: thick, walled-off body formed by organism in tissues filled with spores -> used to diagnose
Complications in individuals with weakened immune systems can occur such as spreading to meninges or bones.

Histoplasmosis

H_________a capsulatum is endemic in central and eastern US.
Soil fungal spores inhaled and mature into actively growing yeastlike form -> can survive and multiply in macrophages.
Infection usually remains mild and localized within lungs in most cases but complications can arise such as pneumonia and infection in the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes when disseminated.

Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)

caused by P___________ jiroveci (formerly P. carinii) and invades lung cells.
Few or no symptoms in healthy individuals.
Can cause complications if spread to other organs in individuals that have
compromised immunity.
High fatality rate if people develop an infection and are not treated with antifungal agents.
Often causes problems for people with AIDS.

Blastomycosis

caused by B________es dermatitidis.
Normal entry through wound or breathing spores into lungs -> spores mature to yeast cells -> can get into circulation via macrophages -> disseminate to other organs.
Systemic b____________ can lead to extensive tissue damage.

Aspergillosis

A________us fumigatus (opportunistic fungus) infects lungs when spores are inhaled.
Spores are often found in decaying vegetation.
Can become an invasive lung infection -> asphyxiation.
Is another fungal infection that causes problems for people with AIDS or with an impaired immune system.

Giardiasis

G______ duodenalis (also known as G. intestinalis or G. lamblia) is cause of the disease.
Cysts are ingested and go to small intestine -> develop into trophozoite and adhere to bowel wall.
Causes severe diarrhea with dehydration and can interrupt normal adsorption.
Cysts are not killed by chlorination.

Amebiasis (Amoebic Dysentery)

caused by Ent_____a histolytica.
Can be acute or chronic disease. Cysts are ingested and develop to trophozoites in colon.
Can invade intestinal mucosa and get into bloodstream.
Intestinal lining damage can cause fecal material to get into body cavity and cause "peritonitis".
Cysts are not killed by normal chlorine concentrations in water.
Small number of population are asymptomatic carriers of E. histolytica.

Cyclosporiasis

more recently discovered protozoan causing intestinal disease.
Oocytes from C________a cayetanensis are ingested -> lead to watery diarrhea.
Oocytes can be found in water or on food like berries.

Cryptosporidiosis

caused by protozoa in the genus C___________ium.
2 main species: C. hominis and C. parvum infecting humans.
Oocysts are ingested and mature into sporozoites in small intestine. Immunodeficient individuals can have life threatening diarrhea.
Contaminated water is the usual source

Visceral Leishmaniasis

sand fly bite spreads protozoan -> enters blood stream.
Common disease in countries with tropical climate.
Macrophages ingest it but can survive inside and multiply within.
L_________ donovani can cause extensive damage to liver, spleen, and kidneys
If left untreated -> death.
Is becoming an opportunistic infection associated with HIV.

Malaria

endemic in tropical areas.
Protozoan enters human infected Anopheles mosquito bite.
Organism matures in stages -> ultimately infects a red blood cell (RBC).
Individuals with sickle cell trait possess some resistance to severe m______ due to altered red blood cell shape -> hinder parasite's replication.
sporozoite stage: carried by mosquitoes; travel in bloodstream to liver
merozoite stage: rupture liver cells and invade RBC
trophozoite stage: multiplies in RBC and explodes -> release new merozoites + rise in body temperature.
4 species of Plasmodium but Plasmodium falciparum is most severe; best controlled by controlling mosquito population

Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis)

caused by protozoan T_________a cruzi
Infection is seen sporadically in southern USA.
Transmitted by reduviid bug (kissing bug).
Initially causes a fever and swollen glands but can be chronic.
Nerves in various organs like the heart, skeletal muscles and colon can be damaged.
If pregnant woman is chronically infected -> can pass to fetus.
Difficult to treat at chronic stage since t_________e can multiply inside host cells.

Toxoplasmosis

caused by T________a gondii and can be found in feces of cats as oocysts -> infect human.
Oocysts mature to trophozoites in host cells.
Can come from eating undercooked contaminated meat.
Usually causes mild lymph node inflammation and is a self-limiting disease.
Can be transferred across placenta -> congenital defects.
Causes a problem for those with AIDS.
Research currently in progress to see if there is connection between organism and Schizophrenia.

Cryptococcosis

commonly caused by budding yeast C__________us neoformans.
Primary route of infection: breathe in airborne C_________us spores, commonly found in soil contaminated with bird droppings -> lung infection.
Can spread to central nervous system (CNS), and other parts of body -> meningitis and systemic infections (+ pneumonia).
Primarily causes problems for people with compromised immune systems (ex. AIDS)

Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping Sickness)

caused by a protozoan (genus T_________a) and transmitted by bite of tsetse fly
Human disease caused by either T. brucei rhodesiense or T. brucei gambiense.
Can infect all organs of body and if left untreated, deterioration of CNS develops -> coma and death.
For many years, researchers have tried to develop a vaccine, but the organism constantly changes its membrane proteins to escape host immune system making it hard to develop a vaccine with the protecting antigens.