Systemic

Systemic Mycosis
Mycosis

Dr. Mejbah
 Systemic Mycoses
• Primary pathogens & opportunistic
pathogens cause systemic infection.
• May involve any organ or tissue of the body.
• When the disease spread to several organs
or tissues is referred to as disseminated.
 Systemic Mycoses

• Soil is the main habitat of most of these

fungi.
• Inhalation is the most common route of
infection.
 Systemic Mycoses

• Systemic fungi are:

Blastomyces dermatidis.
Coccidiodes immitis.
Histoplasma capsulatum.
Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis.
 Coccidiodes immitis
• Invades through lungs by inhalation of
athroconidia.
• May widely disseminate in body
• Thermally dimorphic fungus, grow as
mold in soil, but yeast (spherule) in tissue.
 Coccidiodes immitis
• Clinical findings:
• May be asymptomatic.
• Symptoms are: self limiting influenza like
illness – fever, malaise, cough, arthralgia,
and headache.
• Some patients develop hypersensitivity
(erythema nodosum and rash).
 Coccidiodes immitis
Laboratory Identification
– Spherules can be identified from sputum
or tissues
– Culture on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar
– Serological identification by rising titer of
IgG indicates dissemination.
Coccidiodes immitis

Wet mount
 Histoplasma capsulatum

• Dimorphic fungus, grows as hyphae in soil

with bird-droppings (also bat-droppings) &
as yeast in cells.
• Transmitted by inhalation of airborne spores
 Histoplasma capsulatum
• Clinical findings:
• Immunocompetent person develop self limiting
influenza like illness – fever, malaise,
headache, and noprodutive cough.
• May disseminate to liver, spleen, bone marrow
and lymph node in immunosuppressed
persons.
 Histoplasma capsulatum
• Laboratory Identification
• Yeast within macrophages in sputum or
biopsy tissues
• Culture on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar show
hyphae at 25°C and yeast at 37°C.
• Detection of antigen and antibody.
 Histoplasma capsulatum

Histoplasma capsulatum
inside macrophages.

Wet mount
 Blastomyces dermatidis
• Dimorphic fungus
• Organism invades through lungs via
inhalation of airborne spores, but becomes
disseminated.
• Disease may look like TB.
• Can produce abscess.
 Blastomyces dermatidis

Lab Identification
– Microscopy: yeast cells in sputum or
biopsy specimens.
– Culture on Sabourauds Dextrose Agar