General characteristics of pathogenic fungi, groups of human mycoses.

Fungi

Eukarya

• The main component of the cell wall is chitin
• Cell plasma membrane
• True nucleus with DNA (and nucleolus)

Contains:
• Vacuoles
• Cytoskeleton
• Cytoplasm
• Mitochondria, ER, Golgi apparatus, Ribosomes, Peroxisomes (detoxification)

Zygomycota

Mucorales– mucormycosis, food mold, lung and skin infection

Ascomycota

– Saccharomyces, Candida, Pichia- Involvement of the skin, oral cavity, and genitals

Basidiomycota

Agaricomycotina– toadstools, cap mushrooms

Budding (yeast) fungi

unicellular

Filamentous fungi

forming hyphae and mycelium

Dimorphic fungi

able to exist in both yeast and filamentous forms

Asexual spores

• blastospore

• arthrospore

• conidiospore

• sporangiospore

• chlamydospore

Sexual spores

• zygospore

• basidiospore

• ascospore

Classification of human mycoses

• Skin (never disseminates)

  • Dermatophytic fungi (Trichophyton)

• Mucosalmycoses

  • candidiasis

• Subcutaneous mycoses

  • sporotrichosis

• Invasive mycoses

  • cryptococcosis