Paper II
2023 January (Supplementary) (2019 Scheme) · 100 marks · 180 min

Question

Classification of fungus with examples.

Q124 marksShort Answers

Answer

Classification of fungi (medically important, based on clinical presentation/site of infection):

  1. Superficial mycoses — involve only the outermost keratinized layer of skin/hair, with minimal host tissue reaction. Example: Malassezia furfur (pityriasis versicolor).
  2. Cutaneous mycoses (Dermatophytoses) — involve skin, hair, and nails (keratinized tissue), caused by dermatophytes. Examples: Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis, Epidermophyton floccosum.
  3. Subcutaneous mycoses — involve the dermis, subcutaneous tissue, and sometimes bone, typically following traumatic inoculation. Examples: Sporothrix schenckii (sporotrichosis), Madurella mycetomatis (eumycetoma).
  4. Systemic (deep) mycoses — involve internal organs, often via inhalation, caused by dimorphic fungi. Examples: Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Blastomyces dermatitidis.
  5. Opportunistic mycoses — cause disease primarily in immunocompromised hosts, otherwise of low inherent pathogenicity. Examples: Candida albicans (candidiasis), Aspergillus fumigatus (aspergillosis), Cryptococcus neoformans (cryptococcosis), Mucor/Rhizopus species (mucormycosis).

Alternative classification (by morphology):

  • Yeasts — unicellular, budding fungi (e.g., Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans).
  • Moulds — multicellular, filamentous fungi with hyphae (e.g., Aspergillus species).
  • Dimorphic fungi — exist as mould in the environment (25–30°C) and yeast/spherule in host tissue (37°C) (e.g., Histoplasma capsulatum).

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