NOTES IN MICROBIOLOGY 2: YEAST INFECTIONS

Clark Vergil A. Amorillo, B.S.M.T., R.M.T.

 Cyclohexamide variable:
CAUSATIVE AGENTS OF YEAST INFECTIONS o C. lusitaniae
o C. tropicalis
 Cycloheximide Resistant:
General Characteristics of Yeasts o C. albicans
 Colors range from white to cream or tan, o C. dubliniensis
with a few species forming pink- to salmon- o C. guilliermondii
colored colonies; dark and pigmented  Cycloheximide Sensitive are all not
(melanin in cell walls) for Phaeoid. mentioned
 Phaeoid yeasts are associated with several  C. kruzei is the ONLY urea variable, the rest,
species of polymorphic fungi negative.

Candida spp. Cryptococcus spp.

 Normal biota of the vagina, oral mucosa,  Important causative agent of meningitis,
skin, and alimentary tract pulmonary disease, septicaemia.
 MOST NOTORIOUS AGENT OF YEAST  Produces mucoid colonies
INFECTIONS  With capsule
 Causes superficial to disseminated disease o Surrounds the budding yeast in spinal
o Intact immunity fluid
 Localized and limited o Detected by India Ink or Nigrosin
o Immunosuppressed  Clear and unstained halos
 Thrush are seen around individual
 Infection of the oral yeast cells
mucosa  Low sensitivity, replaced by
 Indicator of latex agglutination
immunosuppre-sion  Latex agglutination
 Capable of o Recommended for routine use
dissemination  On cornmeal agar, it produces
 Candida glabrata blastoconidia only without producing true
o Second most common Candida to hyphae; instead pseudohyphae.
cause disease  ALL are urease positive
o Account for 21% of urinary yeast  C. neoformans is Nitrate negative; C.
isolates albidus, positive.
o Aggressive, difficult to treat with  C. neoformans is the ONLY phenol oxidase
antifungal therapy positive
o Rapidly assimilates trehalose o Notable characteristic that
 Candida parapsilosis distinguishes it from other
o Major cause of nosocomial Cryptococcus spp.
infections  C. neoformans
 ALL can grow at 37C o Most notable pathogen in this genus
 ALL without arthroconidia o MAJOR CAUSE OF OPPORTUNISTIC
 All can grow at 42C except: INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH AIDS
o C. dubliniensis o Found in soil contaminated with
o C. parapsilosis pigeon droppings
 All can grow at 45C except: o Acquired through inhalation
o C. guilliermondii o Difficult to differentiate from C. grattii
o C. krusei  C. grattii can use glycine in
 All have pseudohyphae except C. glabrata canavanine as the sole
source of carbon and
 With True Hyphae nitrogen; C. neoformans will
o C. albicans not
o C. dubliniensis  Canavanine glycine
o C. stellatoidea bromthymol blue agar

Clinical Microbiology - Mahon (5th Ed.): Summary on Yeast Infections

 NOTES IN MICROBIOLOGY 2: YEAST INFECTIONS
Clark Vergil A. Amorillo, B.S.M.T., R.M.T.
 C. grattii  Show diffuse interstitial
o Emerging pathogen in the Pacific infiltrate
Northwest of the US  d/t immune response
o Also cause opportunistic infections in to organism attached
AIDS patients but with different to alveolar cells
prognosis and treatment outcomes  contain cells from
alveoli and plasma
cells
Rhodotorula spp.  Life cycle
 Noted for their bright salmon-pink color o Trophozoite (1-5um)
 Closely related to Cryptococci  Irregularly shaped
o Bear capsules o Precyst (5-8um)
o Urease-positive o Cyst (8um)
o Some are nitrate (+)  Thick-walled sphere
 Not common causative agent of infections containing 8 intracystic
but have been known to cause bodies
opportunistic infections.  Infective stage
 Upon which intracystic
bodies/spores are released in
Pneumocystis spp. the lungs
 Laboratory diagnosis
 Inhabit lungs of many mammals
 P. carinii o Open lung biopsy
 Finding of cyst or trophozoite
o Originally protozoa
 Nucleic acid sequencing o Other specimens: BAL, transbronchial
revealed it to be a fungus biopsy, tracheal aspirate, pleural
fluid, induced sputum
o Not a single species
o Histologic stains
o Most commonly found in rats
 P. jirovecii  Giemsa
 Round with cyst wall
o Species most often recovered from
humans barely visible
 Many more species are to be named  Gomori methenamine Ag
 Black cyst wall
 Causes infection acquired early in life
o 2-4yrs  most develop Ab/Ag  Cysts have punched-
out ping-pong ball
 Immunocompetent host
appearance
o Asymptomatic
 Immunocompromised
 Calcoflour white
o Serious and life threatening
 Screening
pneumonia
 Detects chitin
 Initially identified as causative agent in
 Immunoflourescent
interstitial plasma cell pneumonia in
malnourished or premature infants monoclonal Ab Stains
 One of the primary opportunistic infections  Widely used
o Fungi and yeast and Pneumocystis
found in patients with AIDS
spp. fluoresce
 High incidence also in patients who are
 Treatment includes TMP-SXT or pentamidine
o taking immunosuppressive drugs
isethionate; aerosolized pentamidine for
o with malignancies
o had organ transplants AIDS prophylaxis
 Clinical manifestations o Does not respond to most antifungal
and antiprotozoan drugs
o Fever
o Non-productive cough
o Difficulty breathing
o Low-grade fever
o Chest radiographs
 Normal or

Clinical Microbiology - Mahon (5th Ed.): Summary on Yeast Infections