AIRBORNE

CONTAMINANTS ALTERNARIA ASPERGILLUS BOTYRIS CHAETOMIUM CEPHALOSPORIUM CURVULARIA FUSARIUM

CULTURE

Rapid-growing colonies, grayish Flat, compact colonies, white at Soft looking tan to gray colony Slow growing, flat, white, White to tan to rose-colroed Dark brown to black colony on Fast-growing colony. At first,
MORPHOLOGY to black to brown; underside jet first then becoming black, yellow, tan or brown colony colony, eventually developing both sides ragged in white and cottony but develping
black green, bluish or yellow White aerial hyphae. appearance. rose to red color on both sides

MICROSCOPIC
VIEW

Large, hand grenade-shaped
DESCRIPTION spores with both longitudinal
and transverse cross walls.
Borne singly or in chains.
Septate, dematiaceous fungi.
Small one-celled spores Colorless, one celled spores Large, dark, central structure is Single celled, clear, elliptical Large, bent spores with 3 to 5 Largest spores are sickle-shaped
irradiating out from swollen borne in clumps perithecium that contains spores held together in a ball cells. Similar to and may contain several cells.
base (see arrows) ascospores (sexually produced) unless broken loose Helminthosporium spp. Brown, Small spores with one to two
septate hyphae. cells have more rounded ends.

AIRBORNE
CONTAMINANTS GELASINOSPORA GEOTRICHUM GLIOCLADIUM HORMODENDRUM NEUROSPORA (MONILIA) NIGROSPORA PAECILOMYCES

CULTURE

Dark colony with numerous small
MORPHOLOGY black dots which are perithecia
(sexual organs for Ascomycetes)
White to tan, flat or fluffy,
rapid-growing fungus
Flat, rapid-growing colony. White
at first, then developing dark
green central portion
Green to gray to black colony on
both sides. Often wrinkled and
grows flat
White at first but grows rapidly
filling the entire Petri dish in a few
days and becoming a salmon to
brown color. Mycelium may hang
from the lid of the Petri dish.
Rapid growing, producing Flat, rapid-growing, tan-colored
abundant fluffly, aerial hyphae, colony resembling Aspergillus
gray to black on both sides. spp.
Resembles Mucor or Rhizopus

MICROSCOPIC
VIEW

Squashed perithecium
DESCRIPTION showing many asci, each
containing 8 sexually
produced ascospores
Note hyphae breaking into
arthrospores. May be confused
with Coccidioides immitis.
Numerous small spores held
together in a clump. Similar to
Penicillium spp. Except for the
clumping of spores.
Dark brown septate hyphae bear
branching chains of elongate to
ovate spores that often contain a
small black dot at the end. Spore
bearing structures look tree-like
Clear septate hyphae with large Large, clearly visible jet black Similar to Penicillium spp.
masses of ovate spores which are spores. except small spores are
air-dispersed produced on very long, slender
structures
AIRBORNE
CONTAMINANTS PENICILLIUM PULLULARIA (Aureobasidium) RHODOTORULA RHIZOPUS SACCHAROMYCES SCOPULARIOPSIS SEPEDONIUM

CULTURE

White colony at first but Brown to black, flat, greasy- A pale yellow to vivid orange Gray to brown to black colony White to tan yeast colonies Powdery, light brown, wrinkled Fluffy, white colony resembles
MORPHOLOGY developing blue to green color looking colonies yeast filling a Petri dish in 2 to 3 days. colony resembling Penicillium Histoplasma capsulatum
Similar to Mucor spp. spp. Except for color.

MICROSCOPIC
VIEW

Small, round spores borne in
DESCRIPTION “brush-like” formations
Mixture of dark, thick-walled,
large hyphal cells and clear
spores which seem to be budding
Long, slender yeast cells, usually
budding, but may appear to form
pseudohyphae.
Similar to Mucor spp. except foot-
like structures (rhizoids) at base of
spore bearing hyphae (see arrows).
Spores in sporangium clear,
coenocytic hyphae
Typical yeast cells that Resembles Penicillium spp. Large, rough-walled spores that
reproduce by budding. except spores are larger and resembles Histoplasma
form unbranched-chains capsulatum
AIRBORNE
CONTAMINANTS SPOROBOLOMYCES STEMPHYLUM STREPTOMYCES SYNCEPHALASTRUM VERTICILLIUM
SUPERFICIAL
CULTURE
Dermatophytoses – dermatophytes
•Genus Microsporum
•Genus Epidermophyton
•Genus Trichophyton

Pityriasis Versicolor – Malazzezia furfur

A light tan yeast colony Brown to black, wrinkled fuzzy Dry, flat, leathery colony grows Gray to brown to black fluffy Powdery to pinkish brown colony Tinia nigra – Cladosporium werneckii
MORPHOLOGY colony close to the medium colony that may fill a Petri dish in that looks similar to Penicillium
a few days. Similar to Mucor and spp. Piedra
Rhizopus spp •white – Trichosporum(beigelli) cutaneum
•black – Piedraia hortai
MICROSCOPIC
VIEW Otomycosis
•Aspergillus
•Mucor
•Penicillium
•Rhizopus

Yeast cells that may form long
DESCRIPTION slender tubes. Reproduces by
budding
Keratitis
Hyphae are brown and strongly Very fine (1um) branching hyphae Broad, clear, nonseptate hyphae, Single-celled elliptical spores •Fusarium
septate: huge multicelled that readily break apart spores in many slender sac-like borne in clusters that are •Aspergillus
terminal spores that may either structures (sporangia) adhere to a arranged in whorls •Curvularia
be smooth or rough swelling on the terminal end of •Penicillium
hypha. •Cephalosporium
•Candida species

MICROSPORUM MICROSPORUM
DERMATOPHYTES MICROSPORUM AUDOUINII MICROSPORUM CANIS MICROSPORUM DISTORTUM MICROSPORUM FERRUGINEUM GYPSEUM MICROSPORUM NANUM VANBREUSEGHEMII

CULTURE

Cultured on Sabouraud plus 2
MORPHOLOGY antibiotics at room temp. for 2-3
weeks. Fluffy white colony with
slight yellow underside
Cultured on Sabouraud medium
plus 2 antibiotics at room temp. for
1-2 weeks. White on top with bright
yellow underside.
Culture on Sabouraud medium plus
2 antibiotcs at room temperature for
3 weeks. Similar to Microsporum
canis but with less pigmentation.
Cultured on Sabouraud medium
plus 2 antibiotics for 3 weeks at
room temp. White to intense orange
yellow strains; often sectors
Cultured on Sabouraud medium
plus 2 antibiotics for 5-10 days at
room temp. Grows rapidly,
producing a cinnamon to brown
colored flat colony.
Cultured on Sabouraud medium
plus 2 antibiotics at room temp. for
1-3 weeks. White to buff surface:
bottom often yellow red brown.
Cultured on Sabouraud medium
plus 2 antibiotics for 1-2 weeks at
room temp. Cottony white surface,
may develop pink to tan coloration;
bottom often colorless to yellow.

MICROSCOPIC
VIEW

No distinguishing spores will not Highly diagnostic large, thick- Large spores similar to No distinguishing spores. Numerous, characteristic, Large Egg-shaped, thin- walled; large Huge, long, thick rough- walled
DESCRIPTION grow on rice walled, rough spores containing Microsporum canis but distorted Prominent septa, giving term spore; thin-walled, pointed ends spores with 1-3 septa spores with more than 8 septa.
more than 6 septa. and bent in shape. “bamboo hyphae”. with 2-5 septa.

TRICHOPHYTON TRICHOPHYTON RUBRUM

DERMATOPHYTES TRICHOPHYTON VIOLACEUM TRICHOPHYTON CONCENTRICUM TRICHOPHYTON EQUINUM MENTAGRPPHYTES TRICHOPHYTON SCHOENLEINII TRICHOPHYTON TONSURANS

CULTURE
 SUBCUTANEOUS
TRICHOSPORON BEIGELII EPIDERMOPHYTON PIEDRAIA HORTAI
DERMATOPHYTES (room temperature cultures) FLOCCOSUM MALASSEZIA FURFUR (room temp cultures)
SUBCUTANEOUS SPOROTHRIX SCHENCKII SPOROTHRIX SCHENCKII Sporotrichosis – Sporothrix schenckii
CULTURE (Room Temp) (37 C cultures) FONSECAEA PEDROSOI FONSECAE COMPACTA PHIALOPHORA VERRUCOSA Chromomycosis
CLADOSPORIM CARRIONIor Chromoblastomycosis
BASIDIOBOLUS RANARUM
Phialophora verrucosa
CULTURE Fonsecae pedrosoi
Cladosporium carrioni
Mycetoma or Maduromycosis
Actinomycotic
Actinomadurae
The colonies are smooth to Cultured on Sabouraud Colonies in Dixon’s agar are The colonies are dark brown
Nocardia
MORPHOLOGY slightly wrinkled (notculture
fuzzy) medium on 2 antibiotics for 1-3 cream to
Surface is yellowish,
dark green,smooth
gray oror and may have a metallic green Surface is dark greenish, brown to The colony has a darkStreptomyces
surface, flat
Dark, greasy-looking White to tan yeast colonies after Surface is dark green to black. Colonies are flat, yellowish gray

PITYRIASIS VERSICOLOR
and white weeks at room temp. Yellow to lightlycovered
wrinkled,byglistening or tinge. They are very compact,
MORPHOLOGY after 1 to 2to tan inincubation
weeks color on green
1 to 3 weeks incubation
green toon brain
black, silvery, velvet- The colonies are heaped, brittleblack with a close matlike, olive to with slightly raised center. It is to creamy gray, glabrous
Sabouraud medium
colored
heart
surface;
infusion agar.
dull,mycelium.
like with the margin beingflat,
It is usually have a raised
with irregular
center and
indented borders.
aregray mycelium. Some strains are covered with velvety dullfungi)
Eumycotic(true gray, becoming radially folded and
brown underside. either entire or lobate
then develops a cone shaped slightly fuzzy. heaped, granular or flat with a Allescheria(or
gray green or purplish brown, short Petriellidium)

PIEDRA
There are brownish hyphae on covered by a fine powder, white
protrusion in the center. Reverse is the surface matted appearance. Reverse is Madurella
napped mycelium. Reverse is surface mycelium
black. One observes dematiaceous black. black. Phialophora
MICROSCOPIC hyphae containing numerous
VIEW septa
Entomopthoromycosis
MICROSCOPIC Basidiobolus ranarum
VIEW
Conidiobolus coronatus
Lobomycosis – Lacazia loboi(Loboa loboi)
Rhinosporidiosis – Rhinosporidium seeberi
10% KOH with Parker ink
One observes clear septate Large, club-shaped spores with mount showing characteristic Phaeohypomycosis
DESCRIPTION hyphae which may break up 2 to 5 septa, often form in spherical yeast cells and short Wangiella spp
Clear, septate hyphae
into individual cells. with Round, oval, or “cigar-shaped”
pairs. The hyphae is elements
pseudohyphal septate, typical
branched Hyphae is septate, brown, The hyphae is brown, branched The hyphae is septate, dark with There is the presence of large
branching and bear Cladosporium and septate with vase-shaped
Exophialia spp
lateral and terminal conidiophores
DESCRIPTION spores (3 to 6 um) in “daisy- yeast cells, 1 to 3 um x 4to 10 and brown.
of the lungs The conidia is dark vegetative hyphae forming
like” clusters um measuring 1.5-3.0 x 2.5-6.0 um. of conidiophores. Outstanding Phialophora type conidiophores. Cladosporium
of varying size. conidiophoresspp. numerous round, smooth, thick
features are flasklike shape conidia The conidiophores are single or Hormodendrum
produce long branching chainsspp.
of walled zygospores with two
and compact arrangement of multiple, lateral or terminal and brown, smooth walled, oval,
Dreschlera spp. closely appressed beaklike
conidial chain. bear easily disrupted masses of pointed conidia which have dark
appendages
oval conidia scars of attachment

SUBCUTANEOUS N BRASILIENSIS (TOP)/ EXOPHIALA (WANGIELLA)

N MADUARAE(BOTTOM)-RT DERMATITIDIS CONIDIOBLOUS CORONATUS (25-30 C) EXOPHIALA JEANSELMEI PSEUDOALLESCHERICHIA BOYDII (SEXUAL)
The colonies have a cottony surface that is white to gray-brown in color and gets darker
CULTURE with age of the culture. The reverse is also white turning brown with age.

Slow growing, dry-
MORPHOLOGY appearing colonies on
Sabouraud medium.
Morphology varies
between etiologic agents.
Use biochemical tests.
Colonies are slow growing,
initially black and yeast-
like, becoming suede-like,
ovilaceous grey and mould
like age.
Colonies are flat, cream-colored, glabrous The colonies are brown or GRAPHIUM, asexual state of P. BOYDII (sexual state). The coremia or Synnemata(conidial
becoming radially folded and covered by green-black, moist and structures) of the Graphium state of P.boydii have terminal hyaline conidia, club-shaped
fine powdery white surface mycelium and glistening. With age they or cylindrical, approximately 6 x 3 um. In the sexual state(P.boydii), large, 50-200 um
conidiophores. become covered with in diameter, round, brown cleistothecia are found containing ascospores
velvety grayish hyphae.
The reverse is black

MICROSCOPIC
SCEDOSPORIUM APIOSPERMUM (ASEXUAL STATE OF BOYDII) The Scedosporium type of
VIEW conidia of P. boydii may rise directly from the septate hyphae or from the tip of
conidiophores, appear truncated at the base, and sometimes resemble the conidia of
Blastomyces dermatitidis. The hyphae are long and slender, branch at acute angles and
thus may resemble aspergilli.

Variations in acid fastness In new culture, oval and The hyphae have few septa. The The conidiophores are
DESCRIPTION help to determine between
some etiologic agents.
Delicate hyphae, 1 um. All
are members of the
Actinomycetes.
Recommended room
temperature incubation,
although morphology is
similar at both temp
round budding yeast-like
cells are formed.
Subsequently these cells
produce septate hyphae
with flask-shaped to
cylindrical phialides found
at the tip of the phialide
and also along d hyphae.
conidiophores are unbranched forming
solitary terminal conidia. The conidia are
spherical, single-celled and have a
prominent papilla. It may also produce hair-
like appendages called villae.
elongated, tubular and with
a tapered, narrow end. RHINOSPOR This organism has never been cultured; its existence as a water saprophyte or fish pathogen is
Conidia are smooth, thin- suspected
walled, and ellipsoid and IDIUM SEEBERI (RT AND 37 C)
can gather in clusters
around the conidiophores
and at points along the
septate hyphae

HISTOPLASMA CAPSULATUM PARACOCCIDIOIDES BRAZILIENSIS

DEEP SEATED DEEP SEATED ROOM TEMP 37 C COCCIDIODES IMMITIS RT 37 C

CULTURE
Histoplasmosis –
Histoplasma capsulatum

Coccidioidomycosis –
Coccidioides immitis

South American Blastomycosis –
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
North American Blastomycosis –
Blastomycosis dermatitidis
Whtie, innocent looking (but White to tan yeast colony after 1 to 3 Innocent looking, but dangerous White, slow growing, nondescript Rough, dry yeast colonies after 2
MORPHOLOGY dangerous) colony after 1-3 weeks weeks incubation on brain heart white fluffy colony on Sabouraud colony on Sabouraud medium after 2 to 4 weeks incubation on brain
incubation on Saboraud medium. Note infusion agar. medium after 1 to 3 weeks to 4 weeks incubation heart infusion agar
color of underside incubation. Underside may develop
darker color
MICROSCOPIC
VIEW

Characteristic large tuberculated Numerous, small (2 to 4 um), oval, or Hyphae forming characteristic Fine, septae, clear hyphae lacking Large yeast cells (10 to 60 um)
DESCRIPTION macroconidia (10-20 um) and round, budding yeast cells arthrospores 4 x 8 um spores with numerous, small buds 2 to 5
occasional smaller, infectious Grows sparsely at37, same um
microconidia morphology at 37 and RT
DEEP SEATED BLASTOMYCES DERMATITIDIS CANDIDA ALBICANS ASPERGILLUS SP
RT 37 C OPPORTUNISTIC RT AND 37 C CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS RT / 37 C RHIZOPUS

CULTURE
Candidiasis –
Candida albicans

Cryptococcosis –
Cryptococcus
neoformans
Colony after 1 to 3 weeks Rough, dry, heaped-up yeast White colonies incubated on Off white, mucous colonies on Upper left: green colony after 5 All etiologic agents rapidly fill
MORPHOLOGY incubation on Sabouraud colony after 1 to 3 weeks Aspergillosis – Sabouraud medium for 5 to 7 Sabouraud medium after 5 to 10 to 10 days on Sabouraud Petri dish after 2 to 4 days
medium. White colony, brown incubation on brain heart Aspergillus fumigatus days days medium. Colorless underside incubation. Becomes tan or gray
to tan underside infusion agar
Zygomycosis
MICROSCOPIC
(Mucormycosis) Phycomycosis
VIEW
Rhizopus
Mucor
Absidia
Basidiobolus
Conidiobolus
Delicate, septate hyphae Yeast cells, 10 to 15 um. Note Chlamydospore agar, 1 to 2 days India ink preparation showing Typical Characteristic features –
DESCRIPTION bearing oval to pyriform spores, broad-based budding Geotrichosis – incubationl Note yeast cells, numerous heavily encapsulated sporangium, coenocytic hyphae
pseudohyphae and yeast cells Usually cultured at room and rootlike structures
4 to 8 um Geotrichum
chlamydospores temperature. Some species grow Optimal incubation temp is 30 C.
candidum Usually cultured at RT. Some Usually cultured at 37 C to at 37 C morphologically similar at any
species grow at 37 C and have inhibit contaminants and have morphology similar to temp
Penicillosis – morphology similar to that of that or organisms grown at room
Penicilium spp. organisms grown at RT temperature

OPPORTUNISTIC BASIDIOBOLUS RANARUM CONIDIOBLOUS CORONATUS (25-30 C) GEOTRICHUM PENICILLIUM

PHOT SANDTEXTPROVIDE BY
CULTURE

Colonies are flat, yellowish gray to
MORPHOLOGY creamy gray, glabrous becoming
radially folded and covered by a fine
powder, white surface mycelium
MICROBIOL GYDEPARTMENT
Colonies are flat, cream-colored, glabrous White to tan, flat or fluffy, rapid- White colony at first but developing
becoming radially folded and covered by fine growing fungus blue to green color
powdery white surface mycelium and
conidiophores.

MICROSCOPIC

–USTFMS‘04-’05-
VIEW

formatedby:AudsMartinez(SEC- )©
There is the presence of large The hyphae have few septa. The conidiophores are Note hyphae breaking into Small, round spores borne in “brush-
DESCRIPTION vegetative hyphae forming numerous unbranched forming solitary terminal conidia. The arthrospores. May be confused with like” formations
conidia are spherical, single-celled and have a
round, smooth, thick walled prominent papilla. It may also produce hair-like Coccidioides immitis.
zygospores with two closely appressed appendages called villae.
beaklike appendages