Intro to MYCOV

• Harmful activities of fungi

  • Destruction of materials causing spoilage of leftover food
  • Spoilage of stored foods
  • Destruction of crops especially in the storage of rice
  • Fungal infections like buni, hadhad, and alipunga
  • Allergies
  • Mycotoxicosis – toxin content
• Fungi thrive in moist, acidic, and humid areas or environments
• Fungi types

  • Single cell fungus - Yeast
  • Multinucleated fungus - Molds/Moulds
  • Uni or Multinucleated
  • Monomorphic or Dimorphic
• Yeast fermentation for alcoholic drinks

  To differentiate grape juice to wine/beer by absorbing the CHO to convert into alcohol and carbon dioxide
• Psoriasis is not a fungal infection but rather an autoimmune disorder
• Properties of fungi compared to bacteria

  • Kingdom: Eumycota
  • Nucleus: Eukaryotic
  • Cytoplasm: Mitochondria, Endoplasmic reticulum, 80S ribosomes
  • Cytoplasmic membrane: Sterols (Ergosterol)
  • Cell wall: Glucans, mannans, chitin, chitosan
  • Metabolism: Heterotrophic, mostly aerobes
  • Size: Yeast cells 3-5-10 um, Molds 1-5 um
  • Dimorphism: In some species
• Fungi can grow at room temperature
• Nutritional fungi such as mushroom

  • Food
  • Mushroom
  • Food Production
  • Yeast for baking to expand the size of the bread or soften the bread (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
  • Fermentation of alcoholic drinks
• General properties of fungi

  • Achlorophyllous/Heterotrophic
  • Neutral or Acidic environment
  • Nucleated organisms
  • Obligate aerobes
  • Facultative anaerobes
• Decomposition by fungi

  Decomposers/Commensal maintain ecosystem equilibrium in the environment
• Mycotoxicosis is caused by toxins produced by fungi, such as "Aflatoxin" produced by aspergillus spp.
• Types of Hyphae

  • Antler Hyphae - Swollen
  • Racquet Hyphae - Club-like
  • Spiral Hyphae - Coiled hyphae
  • Rhizoids - Branching structure
• Crosswalls


  • Cellular separation
  • Septated hyphae - presence of septa/septum separating the nucleus
  • Coenocytic hyphae (non-septated) - absence of septum separating the nucleus
• Yeasts


  • pasty/mucoid form
  • Grow at high temperature (37 C)
  • Subject to incubation to grow
• HYPHA/ HYPHAE


  • Shape
  • Pigmentation
  • Functions
  • Cross walls
• Types of fungi

  • Single cell fungus - Yeast
  • Multinucleated fungus - Molds/Moulds
  • Monomorphic - either Yeast or Molds
  • Dimorphic - Yeast/Molds
• Melanin


  Pigment responsible for the color/pigmentation of the hyphae
• Asexual spores

  • Blastospores - budding
  • Chlamydospores - rounding form/enlargement within the hyphal segment
• Molds


  • filamentous type
  • Jawetz or Mahon’s (Room temperature: 22-25 C)
  • Henry’s (Room temperature: 25-30 C)
• Mycelium


  • filamentous mass of hyphae
• Types of Mycelia

  • Aerial mycelia - found in the surface of the agar responsible for reproduction
  • Vegetative mycelia - found below the agar responsible for absorption of nutrients
• Sexual spores


  • Presence of nuclear fusion and undergo meiosis
• Phylum Zygomycota


  • Also known as conjugation fungi
  • About 600 species
  • Terrestrial saprophytes
  • Multinucleated mycelium lacking cross walls
  • Asexual spore: sporangiospore
  • Sexual spore: zygospore
• Reproduction of Arthrospore


  Fragmentation of the septated hyphae
• Phylum Deuteromycota


  • Also known as "fungi imperfecti"
  • Imperfect fungi
  • Most pathogenic fungi
  • With septate hyphae
  • Asexual: Conidia
  • No mode of sexual reproduction
  • Causative agent of mycoses (fungi-causing disease)
• Basidium supports basidia/basidiospore, a unique feature of basidiospore
• Sexual Spores involve nuclear fusion and undergo meiosis (exchange of genetic information)
• Sporangiospore


  • Enclosed in a sac
  • Special structure: Sporangiophore connected to hyphae that supports sporangia
• Molds


  • Filamentous type of fungi
  • Long filaments of cells joined together
  • Can grow as hyphae or mycelium
  • Colony Morphology: fluffy, cotton, wooly, or powdery colonies
  • Grows at room temperature
• Arthrospore


  • Barrel shaped
  • Fragmentation of septated hyphae
• Nutritional Growth Characteristics

  • Acidic environment
  • Obligate aerobic
  • Some are facultative anaerobes
  • Resistant to osmotic pressure
  • High carbohydrate content
  • Metabolize complex carbohydrates
  • High salt concentration
  • Less nitrogen
• Phylum Ascomycota


  • Also known as sac fungi
  • Largest group of fungi
  • Hyphae or mycelium with perforated cross walls with one or more nuclei
  • Sexual: Ascospores
  • Asexual: Conidiospore
• Conidiospore


  • Not enclosed in a sac
  • Special structure: Conidiophore supports the conidia
• Sexual Spores


  • Zygospore within a thick-walled hypha
  • Ascospores septated within segment
  • Basidiospores from Basidium (mushroom)
• Phylum Basidiomycota


  • Also known as club fungi
  • Mycelium with cross walls
  • Sexual: Basidiospore - fusion with conidia
  • Asexual: Conidiospore
• Medically important phyla of Kingdom Fungi

  • Phylum Zygomycota
  • Phylum Ascomycota
  • Phylum Basidiomycota
  • Phylum Deuteromycota
• Yeast


  • Mucoid form of fungi
  • Non-filamentous, unicellular fungi
  • Spherical or oval shape
  • Colony Morphology: moist, cream, opaque, or pasty on media
  • Grows at 37 degrees Celsius
• Marginal utility


  The additional utility (satisfaction) gained from the consumption of an additional product. Total utility is the sum of marginal utilities for each unit consumed
• Summary of Fungal Phyla

  • Zygomycota: Conjugation fungi
  • Ascomycota: Sac fungi
  • Basidiomycota: Club fungi
  • Deuteromycota: Fungi imperfecti
• Stains used in Mycology

  • KOH: Dissolves keratin, makes fungal elements more visible
  • CALCOFLUOR WHITE: Fluorescent stain for tissues, sputum, body fluids, skin, and corneal scrapings
  • LACTOPHENOL COTTON BLUE: Preserves and stains fungal culture
  • GRAM STAIN: Yeast and fungi stain gram-positive
  • ACID FAST: Nocardia is partially acid-fast
  • INDIA INK: Detects Cryptococcus neoformans with halo formation
  • WRIGHT/GIEMSA: Useful for Histoplasma