Medical mycology and phycology 1400-221MIFM

The lecture and laboratory program covers the following topics: ● Mycology and medical phycology as scientific disciplines; basic concepts, historical outline, and subject scope of research. The evolution of key mycological and phycological concepts and notions. ● Tools and workspace for mycologists and phycologists: equipment and principles of work in mycological and phycological laboratories (disinfection, sterilization, and antiseptics, BSL). Types of media used in mycology and phycology. ● The structure and organization of fungal and algal cells. Cell organelles; differences in structure and function between fungal cells and other eukaryotic cells. Cell wall components: their synthesis pathways and differences across fungal and algal taxa ● Fungal cell physiology – key metabolic pathways and differences across taxa ● Antifungal drug classes and their cellular targets ● Mechanisms of action of antimycotics, phycocidal and phycostatic agents and possible drug resistance phenotypes; Intrinsic and acquired resistance mechanisms – combination therapy to achieve a synergistic effect and methods for restoring drug sensitivity using chemosensitizers. ● In vitro drug susceptibility testing (reference microdilution method, E-test method, serial dilution method in solid medium, "spot tests," disk diffusion assay). ● Biology and ecology of fungi and algae: trophic groups, interspecific relationships, adaptations to occupied ecological niches, the phenomenon of antibiosis. Methods of reproduction of fungi (types of fruiting bodies and pseudofruiting bodies) and algae. ● Current taxonomy of pathogenic fungi and algae proposed by Burki et al. in 2019 – characteristics of taxa. Current principles of species nomenclature, especially for fungi and algae. ● Pathogenic algae from the genus Prototheca, pathogenic oomycetes (Oomycota); Mesomycetozoea (Rhinosporidium seeberii) ●Characteristics of pathogenic yeast-like fungi from the phylum Ascomycota ● Characteristics of pathogenic yeast-like fungi from the phylum Basidiomycota ● Pathogenic microfungi from the phylum Ascomycota with regularly septate mycelial hyphae (dermatophytes, keratinophilic mold fungi, etiological agents of chromoblastomycosis, aspergillosis, fusariosis and dimorphic fungi) ● Clinically significant fungi from the phylum Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycota with cenocytic mycelium, etiological agents of entomophthoromycoses and mucormycoses ● Pathogenic fungi from the phylum Chytridiomycota – occurrence and ecological importance ● Microsporidia and microsporidiosis – the most common etiological factors of infections in humans and animals ● Virulence factors of pathogenic fungi, their importance in pathogenesis and in the natural environment, methods of their detection and induction in vitro ● Immunology of fungal infections: fungal antigens, complement fixation test, immunoenzymatic and immunoprecipitation tests ● Negative aspects related to the presence of potentially pathogenic fungi and algae in closed rooms: mycotoxins produced by fungi pathogenic to humans and animals, mycotoxins produced in vivo in the host organism and their impact on the elements of the immune system, allergies, including mykids, SBS, infections (superficial, deep and systemic) ● Fungal pathogens in the air ● Conventional and molecular techniques used in mycological and phycological diagnostics: selective media and differential, commercial in vitro differential tests, molecular markers enabling unambiguous species identification ● Algae as infectious agents ● Rare eukaryotic pathogens: oomycetes (Saprolegnia parasitica, S. diclina, Pythium insidiosum, Lagenidium giganteum), Rhinosporidium seeberii, algae of the genus Prototheca and other pathogenic algae of the phylum Chlorophyta, natural reservoirs, epidemiology ● Applied use of fungi in medicine, food, textile and paper industries, biodegradation and bioremediation; ● Directions of development of medical mycology and phycology – research trends in mycology and phycology, interdisciplinary studies.