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Microbiology: Mycology and Parasitology Flashcards

7 cards from real AP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Ergosterol is the target of azole antifungals. Which enzyme do azoles specifically inhibit?

    Answer: Lanosterol 14α-demethylase (Erg11p)

    Azoles (fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole) inhibit CYP51/Erg11p (lanosterol 14α-demethylase), blocking ergosterol biosynthesis and causing accumulation of toxic methylated sterols.

  2. Ascaris lumbricoides larvae cause pulmonary symptoms during which phase of infection?

    Answer: During larval migration through the lungs (Löffler syndrome)

    After hatching in the intestine, Ascaris larvae penetrate the gut wall, travel hematogenously to the lungs, ascend the airways, and are swallowed; this migration causes Löffler syndrome (eosinophilic pneumonia).

  3. Which characteristic best explains why Histoplasma capsulatum is considered an intracellular pathogen?

    Answer: Yeast forms survive and replicate inside macrophage phagolysosomes

    H. capsulatum yeast cells are phagocytosed by macrophages but resist killing, surviving and replicating within phagolysosomes by modulating pH and nutrient acquisition.

  4. Naegleria fowleri causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) by entering the body through the:

    Answer: Olfactory neuroepithelium after nasal exposure to warm freshwater

    N. fowleri trophozoites enter through the olfactory mucosa during water aspiration in warm freshwater, then migrate along olfactory nerves to the brain, causing rapidly fatal PAM.

  5. The diagnostic stage of Plasmodium in peripheral blood smears used to identify species is the:

    Answer: Ring form trophozoite and gametocyte

    Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smears showing ring-form trophozoites and gametocytes are the gold standard for Plasmodium species identification and parasite quantification.

  6. Sporothrix schenckii infection typically follows which route of entry?

    Answer: Traumatic implantation through plant material (e.g., rose thorns)

    Sporotrichosis ('rose thorn disease') classically results from traumatic inoculation of S. schenckii conidia from soil or plant material into the skin.

  7. Which feature distinguishes Trichomonas vaginalis from other intestinal flagellates?

    Answer: It only exists as a trophozoite with no cyst stage, transmitted sexually

    T. vaginalis lacks a cyst stage entirely and exists only as a trophozoite, making sexual contact the sole transmission route as the fragile trophozoite cannot survive environmental exposure.