Clinical Mycology

Recommended Prerequisites

Biochemistry, Physiopathology, Immunology, Molecular and Cellular  Biology, Microbiology and Parasitology.

Teaching Methods

The teaching of the curricular unit includes lectures and laboratory classes. The lectures are often not required and are based on the classical model of knowledge transmission, electronic presentations supported with illustrative of the syllabus. The laboratory class is compulsory and accompanies the lectures. Classes focus on the application of methodologies to mycological diagnosis of different biological products, presentation of results and discussion. The evaluation is performed by a final exam that focuses on the syllabus taught in lectures and laboratory classes.

Learning Outcomes

1. To provide knowledge in the main aspects of clinical mycology:

a)  Isolation and identification of fungal pathogens;

b)  Fungal taxonomy;

c)  Superficial and invasive fungal infections;

d)  Fungal pathogenesis;

e)  Epidemiology and changing spectrum of mycoses;

f)   Antifungal chemotherapy;

g)  Mechanisms of resistance to antifungal drugs

h)  Methods for the laboratory diagnosis of fungal infections: conventional, immunological and molecular.

2. To give students the skills to develop best laboratory practice within a diagnostic medical mycology laboratory.

3. Contribute to the students’ ability to understand the published research results in a way that they can apply such knowledge to the practice of clinical mycology.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Lectures

1. Introduction to fungi and Fungal taxonomy.

2. Fungal diseases. Changing pattern of fungal infection. Predisposing factors for the invasive fungal infections.

3. Diagnosis of fungal infections. Molecular methods in the diagnosis, taxonomy and identification of fungal pathogens.

4.Antifungal therapy.

5. Mycoses: dermatophytosis, superficial candidosis, other cutaneous fungal infections; aspergillosis; invasive candidosis; cryptococcosis; other invasive yeast infections; mucormycosis; hyalohyphomycosis; dimorphic fungal infections; Pneumocystis jiroveci infection.

6- Molecular typing and epidemiology of Candida spp. and other human fungal pathogens.

 

Laboratory classes

1. Diagnosis of fungal infection: collection and processing of specimens; direct microscopy and selection of culture media; identifying characteristics of fungi.

2. Application of in vitro susceptibility testing.

3. Immunodiagnosis of cryptococcosis, candidosis and aspergillosis.  

Head Lecturer(s)

Maria do Céu Rodrigues de Sousa

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

Deacon, J.W., Modern Mycology, 3rd Edition. Blakwell Science, Oxford, 2000.

Esteves, J. A., Cabrita, J. D., Nobre, G. N., Micologia Médica, 2ª Edição. FundaçãoCalousteGulbenkian, Lisboa, 1990.

Ferreira, W. F. C. e Sousa, J. C. F.,In Microbiologia, Volume 2, 291-343. Lidel Ed., Lisboa, 1998.

Kwong-Chung, K. J., Bennett, J. E., Medical Mycology. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, 1992.

Murray, P. R., Baron, E. J., Jorgensen, J. H., Pfaller, M. A., Yolken, R. H., Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 8th Edition. ASM Press, Washington, D.C, 2003.

Patterson, T., Fungal Infections, an Issue of Infectious Disease Clinics, 1st Edition. Elsevier B.V, 2006.

Richardson, M. D. & Warnock, D., Fungal infection. Diagnosis and Management, 3rd Edition. Blakwell Publishing, Oxford, 2003.

Webster, J. and Weber, R. W. S., Introduction to Fungi, 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2007.