REVIEW OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY

MEDICAL MYCOLOGY

1. causative agents can survive within resident macrophages
2. infection elicits a delayed-type hypersensitivity skin reaction to appropriate antigens
3. pulmonary infections often leave calcified lesions
4. most infections are clinically inapparent
5. they can be treated by rifampin, streptomycin, and pyrazinamide

(E) Histoplasmosis should be treated with amphotericin B not with streptomycin, which is an antituberculous drug. Both histoplasmosis and tuberculosis are caused by facultative intracellular pathogens (Histoplasma capsulatum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis respectively), which can survive in resident macrophages. The majority of individuals infected with these organisms do not develop clinical diseases but elicit delayedtype hypersensitivity skin reaction to specific antigens (histoplasmin and tuberculin respectively) contained in cultural filtrates. Calcification often occurs in healed pulmonary lesions of both diseases. These drugs listed in the question are antituberculous drugs and are not effective for histoplasmosis. (Joklik et al, pp. 498-510,1097-1103) this infection. (Joklik et al, pp. 1117-111; Ryan et al, pp. 614-615)

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