MYCOLOGY AND VIROLOGY

LECTURE
CHAPTER 27 (LESSON 1)
MEDICALLY SIGNIFICANT FUNGI

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

 Eukaryotic; possess true nucleus.

 Unlike plants, fungi lack chlorophyll and
must absorb nutrients from their
environment.
 Fungal walls: made of chitin
YEAST VERSUS MOLDS
YEAST
 Single vegetative cells
 Smooth, creamy, bacteria-like colonies MICROSCOPIC APPEARANCE OF MOLDS
 No aerial hyphae  Aids in identification of molds
 Identification is based primarily on biochemical 1. Antler hyphae/ Favic chandelier
testing and molecular diagnostic methods. - have swollen, branching tips that resemble
 REPRODUCTION: budding/ binary fission moose antlers.
o Involves maturation of the bud to an 2. Racquet hyphae
- Enlarged, club-shaped areas.
independent blastoconidium (daughter
3. Spiral hyphae
cell)
- Tightly coiled.
4. Pectinate hyphae
- Comb-like structures
5. Rhizoids
- Rootlike structures; might be seen in some
members of Mucorales.
MOLDS
 Fuzzy or woolly appearance
 Have mycelia
o Mycelia are made up of many long strands
of tubelike structures called hyphae
o Aerial mycelia/ hyphae
- extend above the surface of the colony;
responsible for the fuzzy appearance
- supports the reproductive structures that
produce conidia
o Vegetative mycelia/ hyphae
- Extend downward into the medium to
absorb nutrients
 These terms are used when fungal hyphae are being
described
6. Septate hyphae
- Show frequent cross-walls occurring
perpendicular to the outer walls of the
hyphae.

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MYCOLOGY AND VIROLOGY
LECTURE
CHAPTER 27 (LESSON 1)
MEDICALLY SIGNIFICANT FUNGI

7. Sparsely septate
- Have few cross-walls at irregular intervals.

DIMORPHISM AND POLYMORPHISM

 Dimorphism
o refers to the ability of some fungi to exist in
two forms, dependent on growth
conditions.
o Yeast Phase
8. Aseptate - Spherule, tissue phase
- Absence of septations; inaccurate terms =
increased concentration of
- Growth condition: in vivo or at 37℃,
are actually sparsely septate
HYALINE VERSUS PHAEOID carbon dioxide (CO 2)
 Identification based on pigmentation due to o Mold Phase
presence of melanin on cell wall.
ambient air
- Growth condition: at 22 - 25℃,
 Fontana-Masson stain
o Binds and stains specifically melanin  Polymorphism
o Phaeoid hyphae = brown o Have both yeast and mold forms in the
o Hyaline hyphae = pink to red same culture
 Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) o Example: Exophiala spp.
o Fungal elements appear black when this REPRODUCTION
stain is used ASEXUAL / “IMPERFECT”
HYALINE/ MONILIACEOUS HYPHAE  Formation of conidia (singular, conidium) following
 Non-pigmented or lightly pigmented. mitosis.
PHAEOID/ DEMATIACEOUS HYPHAE  Done by budding of conidiogenous cells.
 Darkly pigmented o These cells form conidia, which contain all
the genetic material necessary to create a
new fungal colony.
o Phialides
- Vase like structures; produce
phialoconidia
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MYCOLOGY AND VIROLOGY
LECTURE
CHAPTER 27 (LESSON 1)
MEDICALLY SIGNIFICANT FUNGI

o Annellides
- Ringed structures; produce
annelloconidia
o Arthroconidia (singular, arthroconidium)  Terminologies:
- Formed by fragmentation of fertile o Teleomorph – Fungi that reproduces
hyphae as opposed to being formed sexually
by conidiogenous cells o Anamorph – Teleomorph that can also
reproduce asexually; asexual form
o Synanamorph – more than one anamorph
is present for the same teleomorph
 Types of specialized sexual spores:
o Ascospores – Sac fungi; contained in sac-
like ascus
o Zygospores – Conjugation fungi; large spore
with thick wall; fusion of 2 identical cells
o Basidiospores – Club fungi; spores
produced in basidium; point of attachment
 Results of conidia formation = sterigma
o Macroconidia = large and multi-celled TAXONOMY
o Microconidia = small and unicellular MUCORALES
SEXUAL / “PERFECT”  Traditionally Zygomycota, or Glomerulomycota
 Sexual reproduction requires the joining of two  Member genera:
compatible nuclei, followed by meiosis o Lichthemia (formerly Absidia)
o Mucor
o Rhizopus
o Rhizomucor
o Actinomucor
o Apophysomyces
o Cokeromyces
o Cunninghamella
o Saksenaea
o Syncephalastrum
 Rapid growing, soil inhabitants

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MYCOLOGY AND VIROLOGY
LECTURE
CHAPTER 27 (LESSON 1)
MEDICALLY SIGNIFICANT FUNGI

 Opportunistic pathogens, the clinical infection is  No mode of sexual reproduction identified.

referred to as mucormycosis.
 Morphology: gray – white aerial mycelium with
hyaline, sparsely septate hyphae
 Reproduction: asexual; produced sporangiospores

ASCOMYCOTA
 Examples:
o Microsporum spp., Trichophyton spp. →
cutaneous
o Pseudallescheria boydii → subcutaneous –
eumycotic mycetoma
o Saccharomyces spp., Candida spp. → yeast
o Blastomyces spp., Coccidioides spp. →
systemic
 Reproduction: sexual; production of ascospores
within ascus
BASIDIOMYCOTA
 Example:
o Filobasidiella neoformans = teleomorph
form of Cryptococcus neoformans
 Presence of clamp connections
 Clamp connections occur at the septations in the
vegetative hyphae and are easily visible under a
light microscope.
 Staining with diazonium blue B or growing on
culture medium supplemented with benomyl can
assist in the identification of a putative
basidiomycete isolate.
DEUTEROMYCOTA
 “Fungi imperfecti”
 Contains largest number of clinically significant
agents of mycoses.
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