STRUCTURE AND PHYSIOLOGY
- I am a diploid, Gram-positive fungus exhibiting qualities of either being unicellular or multicellular.
- A unique characteristic of mine is that I can switch between different phenotypes.
- One of the phenotypes is white with round cells in smooth colonies and the other is opaque and rod-shaped in flat, grey colonies.
- The two forms have different antigen expression and different affinities for tissues.
- This evolutionary advantage allows me to be highly adaptive to environmental changes.
TRANSMISSION AND DISEASE
- Humans normally share a commensalism relationship with me, but I can become pathogenic if a person is immune compromised or if there is a change in their normal flora.
- I normally infect the skin and mucosal surfaces but I also possess the ability to infect the blood, heart and lungs.
TREATMENT OF INFECTION
- My primary infections can be treated with antibiotics such as Nystatin, clotrimazole and amphotericin B.
DISINFECTION
- I can survive for a long period of time without nutrients and I am also capable of forming bio films on medical devices. Therefore, thorough disinfection protocol must be followed for my successful elimination.