Cryptococcus neoformans
It is a yeast-type fungus that causes cryptococcosis (a generalized disease affecting several organs).[1]
Morphology[edit | edit source]
Cells 5-15 μm in size are spherical in shape and propagate by budding. They do not form pseudohyphae. On the cell surface, there is a wide mucus sheath, which is an important factor in virulence because it protects the cryptococcus from phagocytosis.
Epidemiology[edit | edit source]
Cryptococcus is a common saprophyte in soil, plants and a number of animal hosts. Typical sources of infection are the nests of birds and their droppings (mainly pigeons). A person is most often infected by inhaling an unencapsulated fungus, sometimes through Skin (benign form).
Pathogenesis[edit | edit source]
The disease it causes is called cryptococcosis.
These can be:
It is at the front site among the infirmity of mycotic complications in individuals with AIDS.
They have primarily affected lungs, dangerous hematogenous spread to various organs is dangerous. A serious and typical localization is CNS.
Laboratory diagnostics[edit | edit source]
Depending on the form of the disease, we examine cerebrospinal fluid, sputum, urine or blood culture. Microscopically, we see typical budding cells with a wide capsule. Antibodies are minimally produced, serological testing is therefore irrelevant.
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
They are not cultivation demanding. They grow for 5-10 days at 37 ° C and 20 ° C. On Sabourad's land, they grow in the form of yellow and strikingly shiny colonies.
Treatment[edit | edit source]
We administer antifungals (amphotericin B, fluconazole).
Links[edit | edit source]
Related articles[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ ROSYPAL, Stanislav. Bakteriologie a virologie. 1. edition. 1994. ISBN 80-85827-16-6.
Sources[edit | edit source]
BEDNÁŘ, M. Lékařská mikrobiologie. 1. edition. 1996. ISBN 80-238-0297-6.
