Fungi constitute an extremely diverse group of

organisms and are generally classified as either

molds or yeasts.
General Characteristics
Fungi:
Mitochondria, Eukaryotic, Nuclear Membrane,
True Nucleus, Cell Wall Chitin (must need a host)
Bacteria:
Prokaryotic
Plants:
Chlorophyll, Cell Wall Cellulose (doesnt need a
host)
Fungi:
- obligate aerobes with neutral ph 7.0 (although
can tolerate wide range of ph
- Moisture is necessary for growth
- spores and conidia survive in dry conditions
Yeast:
- single vegetative cells
-form smooth, creamy, bacterial like-colony
- without aerial hyphae
- both micro and macroscopic are similar
- identification of yeast is based on biochemical
testing
- produce by budding with production of
blastoconidium (daughter cell)
- process involves lysis of the yeast cell wall to
form blastoconidium
- as structure enlarges, nucleus is passed into
blastoconidium, a septum forms and
blastoconidium breaks free.
Moulds:
- fuzzy or woolly appearance because of mycelia
- mycelia are made up of many log strands of
tube-like structures called hyphae. (either aerial
or vegetative)
- Mycelia support reproductive structures that
produce conidia
- conidia can be used to identify different fungal
genera
- Aerial mycelia extends above surface of
colony and responsible for fuzzy or woolly
appearance
- Vegetative mycelia extends downward to
absorb nutrients from the medium (media)
- The microscopic appearance often aids in
identification of moulds
Types of hyphae:
Spiral hyphae are tightly coiled spirals
Antler hyphae have swollen branching tips that
resemble moose antlers.
Racquet hyphae have enlarged, club-shaped
areas
Rhizoids hyphae are root like structures, might
see in some Zygomycetes, and their presence
and placement can assist with identification.

Fungal hyphae are described or referred as

septate or sparsely septate.
septate hyphae show frequent cross-walls
occurring perpendicularly to outer walls of the
hyphae
sparsely septate hyphae have few cross-walls
at irregular.
aseptate hyphae meaning absence of
septations, has historically been used to describe
the hyphae of Zygomycetes.
Microscopic examination of hyphae associated
with Zygomycetes often reveals occasional
septations; therefore these hyphae are correctly
termed sparsely septate as opposed to
aseptate.
HYALINE (MONILIACEOUS) VS.
DEMATIACEOUS:
- pigmentation is useful in identification
- Hyaline ormoniliaceous hyphae are either
nonpigmented or lightly pigmented.
- Dematiaceous hyphae are darkly
pigmented because of melanin in the cell wall.
- It depends on the amount of melanin
present; the hyphae will appear pale to dark
brown or nearly black. The dark hypha seen
in tissue section is dark-colored because of
stains that enable better visualization of
fungal elements in tissue and not melanin.
Stain used: Gomori methylene stain = fungal
elements appears black.
Fontana-Masonstain = stains melanin causing
dematiaceous hyphae appear brown whereas
hyaline hyphae remain pink to red (another
stain used in hyphal pigmentation in tissues)
DIMORPHISM VS. POLYMORPHISM:
Dimorphism refers to the ability of some fungi
to exist in 2 forms depending on growth
conditions.
- Dimorphic fungi include a mould phase and
either a yeast or spherule phase.
- Yeast, spherule or tissue state is seen in
vivo or when the organism is grown 37 C w/
increased CO2.
- Mould phase is seen when the organisms
grown at room temperature (22-25 C) in ambient
air conditions.
- Thermally dimorphic fungal species
associated w/ human disease include:
Blastomycesdermatitidis,
Coccidioidesimmitis,
Histoplasmacapsulatum var. capsulatum,
Paracoccidioidesbrasiliensis,
Sporothrixschenckii,
andPenicilliummarneffei.
- mycoses = infections due to fungi
- Polymorphic fungi have both yeast and
mould forms in the same culture. This
characteristic occurs despite growth conditions

and is best observed in Exophiala spp. where

yeast phase is observed initially followed by
mould phase as colony ages.
REPRODUCTION
Fungi can reproduce either asexually (imperfect)
or sexually (perfect).
- Asexual reproduction results in formation of
conidia (singular:conidium) following mitosis.
- It is carried out by specialized fruiting structures
known as conidiogenous cells.
- conidiogenous cellsform conidia which contains
all genetic material necessary to create a new
fungal colony.
- Two common conidiogenous cells are the
phialide which are vase like structures that
produce phialoconidia and the annelideare
ringed structures that produce anneloconidia.
Both form their conidia blastically (budding) like
many yeasts: the parent cell enlarges and
septum forms to separate the conidial
cell.Another is arthroconidia which formed by
fragmentation of fertile hyphae.
- In clinical laboratory, most mould identification
is based on the structures formed as a result of
asexual reproduction.
- Sexual reproduction requires the joining of
two compatible nuclei followed by meiosis.
Teleomorph fungus that reproduce sexually but
ocassionally will reproduce asexually and this
asexual form is termed anamorph.
- Synanamorphs if more than one anamorph is
present for the same teleomorph.
The best example phenomenon is the
teleomorphPseudallescheriaboydii, which has
two anamorphs: Scedosporiumapiospermum
and Graphium sp. These two anamorphs are
synanamorphs to each other.
TAXONOMY:
Most of the etiologic agents of clinical infections
are found in four groups of fungi. They consist
of the divisions Zygomycota, Ascomycota,
Basidiomycota, and form-division Fungi
Imperfecti (Deuteromycota).
ZYGOMYCOTA
Members of class Zygomycetes
rapidly growing organisms
found in soil

opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised

hosts.
gray to white, aerial mycelium
sparsely septate hyphae
asexual reproduction of Zygomycetes is
characterized by the presence of
sporangiophoresand sporangiospores.
The asexual spores (sporangiospores) are
produced in structure called sporangium which
develops from a sporangiophore.
Some zygomycetes are capable of sexual
reproduction resulting in the production of
zygospores.
- Common Zygomycetes are Mucor, Rhizopus,
and Absidia
ASCOMYCOTA
- production of sexual spores known as
ascospores.
- formed within saclike structure known as ascus.
- identified on the basis of characteristic asexual
structures.
- Microsporum spp. Trichopytonsppand
Pseudallescheriaboydii(teleomorph)
BASIDIOMYCOTA
- are few and the only known major pathogen is
Filobasidiellaneoformans perfect form of
Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans.
- Basidiomycetous moulds recovered in
laboratory remain sterile, complicating the
identification process.
- presence of clamp connection is one clue if a
mould is basidiomycete.
Clamp connection occur at the septations in
the vegetative hyphae and easily visible with
light microscopy.
- portion of hypha on one side of the septations
grows out and connects to hypha on the other
side of septations, bypassing the septation.
- Basidiomycetous moulds are being recovered in
increasing numbers in laboratory, but their role in
infectious disease is not understood.
FUNGI IMPERFECTI or DEUTEROMYCOTA
- contains the largest number of organisms that
are etiologic agents of mycoses, including
cutaneous, subcutaneous, and systemic disease.
- Organisms with no mode of sexual
reproductionhave been identified,
-identified on the basis of characteristic asexual
reproductive structures.