Classifications of Fungi

LESSON 3: Classifications of Fungi
OUTLINE
I Classifications of Fungi
Anthropophilic (rare) In contact with man
A. Geographic grouping
B. Epidemiologic grouping ● Taxonomy grouping

o according to morphologic and culture characteristics
i Geophilic ● Topographic grouping
o type of mycosis produced
ii Zoophilic
o most often used
iii Anthropophilic
TOPOGRAPHIC GROUPING OF FUNGI
C. Taxonomy grouping
SUPERFICIAL
D. Topographic grouping - Confined to the outermost layers of the skin and hair
- No host cellular or inflammatory response due to
II Topographic Grouping of Fungi organisms being remote from living tissue
- Essentially no pathology; disease is recognized purely on
A Superficial
cosmetic basis
B Cutaneous
NOTE!
C Subcutaneous
No tendency of inflammation because “superficial” cell is dead,
D Systemic and there is no presence of edema
i Categories of Systemic Disease
III Systemic Diseases
IV Mycology CUTANEOUS
- In the keratin of the skin, nails, and hair; prefer non-living
A Saprophytes
cornified layers
i Hyaline Members - disease: dermatophytosis/dermatomycosis
- host response is patchy scaling or eczema eruptions
ii Dematiaceous Members - classified according to the area of the body that is involved
iii Aseptate Members
SUBCUTANEOUS
B Yeasts - Involves the deeper layers of skin and often muscle tissue
- Blood is involved
C Bacteria-like Fungi - Possible formation of pus
- Man: accidental host following inoculation of fungal
D Dimorphic Fungi
spores via some form of trauma
E Superficial Mycoses - Accidental puncture or prick: happens mostly to
gardener or farmers
F Cutaneous Mycoses - Often identified by the presence of a characteristic tissue
reaction or granule
SYSTEMIC
- Attack the deep tissues and organ systems; often creating
CLASSIFICATIONS OF FUNGI
symptoms that resemble other diseases
● Geographic grouping
o where they exist
● Epidemiologic grouping
o how organism is transmitted
Table No. 1 Epidemiological Groups

GROUP DEFINITION
Geophilic (most common) In contact with soil
Zoophilic In contact with animal host

○ Ex: Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces

dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis,
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
● Caused by opportunistic fungi
○ Low virulence organisms which require the
patient’s defenses to be lowered before the
infection is established
○ Occurring with persons who have primary
diseases that weaken their immunity which lead
to secondary infection
○ Ex: Aspergillus spp., Candida albicans,
Cryptococcus neoformans
NOTE!
CATEGORIES OF SYSTEMIC DISEASE Candida albicans - normal flora of human GIT especially in the
● Caused by truly pathogenic fungi intestine and stomach
○ With ability to cause disease in the normal
Deep mycoses – mostly affects the lungs
human host when the inoculum is of sufficient
size Salicylic acid – used to treat “an-an” before
SYSTEMIC DISEASES
DISEASE DEFINITION PICTURE
Tinea/Pityriasis ● Malassezia furfur - causative agent;

versicolor can be removed by salicylic acid
● Normal skin commensal
● Lipophilic yeast – capsulated: contains

coat that can’t be easily removed
● Looks like “an-an”
Tinea nigra ● Can only be found on hands, palms,

and sometimes feet
● If found on other location, that will be

called melasma (which is not caused
by a fungi)
Black piedra ● Scalp hair
(Left picture)
White piedra ● Beard, eyebrow, pubic hair (rarely:

scalp)
(Right picture)
Dermatophytosis (Epidermophyton floccosum)
Tinea capitis ● ringworm
● Capitis meaning “head”, most often
ELAINE JOY A. DELA PENA | BSMT 3-3 2

seen on children
● Can be prevented by proper hygiene
Tinea barbae ● Found on beard
Tinea corporis ● Ringworm of the body
Tinea cruris ● Ringworm
● Jock itch
● Found in inguinal area
● May be due to sweat allergy
Tinea manuum ● ringworm
● “manuum” = hand
Tinea pedis ● ringworm
● “pedis” = feet
● “athlete’s foot”
● Can be acquired when feet got soaked

on the flood
Tinea unguium ● Thickening & discoloration of the nail

(onychomycosis)
Ectothrix ● Hair loss
Endothrix ● Hair breakage
Chromoblastomycosis ● a chronic fungal infection of the skin

and subcutaneous tissue

Mycetoma ● a chronic, granulomatous disease of

the skin and subcutaneous tissue,
which sometimes involves muscle,
bone, and neighboring organs
Table No. 3 Mycology

SAPROPHYTES
● Contaminates or opportunistic pathogens
● Most are inhibited by cycloheximide
● Grouped by type of mycelia produced
○ Septate vs. aseptate
○ Hyaline vs. dematiaceous
SAPROPHYTES: HYALINE MEMBERS
SPECIES DEFINITION PICTURE
Aspergillus spp. ● Growth rate varies, colors vary, surface velvety to

cottony
● Mycelium - septate and hyaline with unbranched

conidiophores (compared to Syncephalastrum,
which appears similar, but is aseptate)
● Structure
Aspergillus fumigatus ● Considered a potential pathogen, especially if

from a pulmonary source
● Blue/Green colony
● Phialides with spores are directed upward

Aspergillus niger ● Black colony
● Black spores surround the vesicle
Aspergillus terreus ● Sandy colored colony
● Resistance to amphotericin B
Paecilomyces spp. ● Rapid grower, colors vary
● Brush-like conidiophores
● Long, tapered sterigmata
Penicillium spp. ● Commonly rapid growing; white to bluish-green
● Conidiophores characteristically form a brush-

shaped structure
● Sterigmata are flask shaped
● Most common mold in the environment
● Bread mold
● Uncommon cause of human disease

Scopulariopsis spp. ● Moderately slow growing
● White turning brown with age
● Branched or unbranched conidiophores
● Sterigmata are coarsely roughened
Trichoderma spp. ● Moderately rapid growth
● Flask-shaped conidiophores
● Conidia are clustered
Fusarium spp. ● Rapid growth, white colonies may become brightly

colored
● Short conidiophores often branched, have macro-

and micro-conidia which are oval to sickle-shaped
○ Macro - oblong with many cells
○ Micro - oblong with one cell
○ Sickle - crescent shape
● Has been reported to cause eye infections
● Generally a plant disease
SAPROPHYTES: DEMATIACEOUS MEMBERS
Dematiaceous – hypha stained is not clear
Alternaria spp. ● Rapid growth
● colonies become very dark with age
● may become overgrown with looser white to gray

aerial mycelium
● Conidiophores bear single or branched chains of

large, brown conidia
Curvularia spp. ● Rapid growth
● velvety colonies vary in color from grayish-brown

to black
● Spirally arranged brown conidia are borne at the

tips
● Brown, septate, unbranched conidiophores

Cladosporium spp. ● Rapid growth
● green colonies
● reverse is black
● Septate, dematiaceous mycelium
● Conidia are borne in chains
SAPROPHYTES: ASEPTATE MEMBERS
● All are susceptible to cycloheximide
● Rapid growers
● Some have root-like structures termed rhizoids
● Spore bearing structures are called sporangiophores
Mucor spp. ● Very rapid growth
● can fill a culture tube in one day
● Unbranched sporangiophores
● No rhizoids
● Rhinocerebral mucormycosis
Rhizopus spp. ● Rhizoids are present
● Sporangiophores nodal in origin
Syncephalastrum spp. ● Very rapid growth
● White to dark gray colonies with dense, cottony,

aerial mycelium
● Aseptate, hyaline mycelium, with short, branched

sporangiophores, terminating into tips
● Many tubular sporangia containing chains of

spores
YEASTS

Candida albicans ● Cutaneous infections such as oral thrush or

vaginitis, but can become systemic
● ID by positive germ tube test, or production of

chlamydospore on cornmeal agar
● Culture at 37°C
● C. glabrata – never forms pseudohypha
Cryptococcus ● Associated with pigeon feces

neoformans
● Has thick capsule; affects the brain
● Grows at 37° and produces melanin-like pigment

on caffeic acid agar
● ID in CSF by India ink stain for capsule
● Life cycle:
Geotrichum spp. ● Commonly present in GI tract
● Implicated in respiratory infections, frequently as

a secondary invader
● Causes disease in the immunosuppressed
● Produces arthrospores
BACTERIA-LIKE FUNGI
● Some produce sulfur granules (Actinomyces israeli)
● Often require special media, stains, & conditions for growth, i.e. anaerobic
(Actinomycetes spp)
● Some are partially acid-fast (Nocardia spp)
DIMORPHIC FUNGI

Sporothrix schenckii ● Rose fever, gardeners often affected
● Infection via traumatic implantation
Coccidioides immitis ● San Joaquin valley fever
● Mycelial phase present in culture
● Yeast phase in tissue
Histoplasma capsulatum ● Mississippi valley fever
● Associated with bird and bat droppings
● Disease mimics tuberculosis
● Found frequently in reticuloendothelial cells as

extracellular inclusions
● Appearance at 30°C is white and cottony
● Microscopic exam: Tuberculate (projections)

macroconidia is the structure used for ID.
● Microconidia - infectious particle
Blastomyces ● North American Blastomycosis (Gilchrist’s

dermatitidis disease)
● Large yeast cells with single bud
● Culture at 37°C
● Slow growing yeast colony taking 4 weeks to form

a colony
● Yeast cell is 8-20 um in size and is unique for its

Broad-based budding pattern and the double
contoured wall
Paracoccidioides ● South American Blastomycosis

brasiliensis
● Large yeast cells with multiple buds (Mariner’s
wheel)

SUPERFICIAL MYCOSES
Malassezia furfur ● Cause of pityriasis versicolor (tinea versicolor)
Phaeoannellomyces ● Cause of superficial phaeohyphomycosis (Tinea

werneckii nigra)
● “-annello” – ring formation
Trichosporon beigelii ● Cause of white piedra
● Now T. asahii
● Commonly affects pubic hair, axillary hair, beards,

eyebrows
● May be T. ovoides for scalp hair
Piedraia hortae ● Cause of black piedra
● Discovered by Horta, 1911
● Affects scalp hair
● Piedra - Spanish for stone
CUTANEOUS MYCOSES
Microsporum spp ● Hair, skin, rarely nails
● Frequently in children, rarely in adults
● Often spontaneous remission occurs (ringworm
● Macroconidia are attached singly
● Thick walled
● Mature forms are echinulate (spiny)
Trichophyton spp ● Hair, skin, and nails
● In both children and adults (athlete’s foot)
● Macroconidia are attached singly
● Have smooth walls

Epidermophyton spp ● Skin, nails, rarely hair
● Frequently In adults, rarely in children (ringworm)
● Macroconidia are attached in multiples
● Smooth walls (beaver tails)
● Grows slowly
● “buni” of the elderlies
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!
1. Fungi – generally Gram positive; usually handled in BSC, with the use of lactophenol stain (blue color)
2. Teleomorph – fungi in sexual reproduction
3. Anamorph – fungi in asexual reproduction
4. Synanamorph – always asexual reproduction
5. Carnii – the person who described Pneumocystis carnii as a protozoa, but is later on determined as fungi
- It is also called Pneumocystis carinii
6. BHI – stands for Brain Heart Infusion
7. In culture media, the top/aerial portion is not the only one to be observed. The bottom/reverse/overse part must also be observed for
vegetative purposes
8. If a person has HIV, he/she always have “singaw”
9. Tumor – also refers to swelling or inflammation, and not always on cancerous cells
10. In the tissue, yeast is found. In the culture, mycelia is found.
11. Blastospores – “many”
12. Eumycotic – means true nucleus; fungi
REFERENCES
Notes from the discussion of Mrs. Flordeliza A. De Guzman, RMT, MAT-PHYS
Notes from the synchronous session of Mrs. Flordeliza A. De Guzman, RMT, MAT-PHYS
Cavite State University powerpoint presentation: Lesson 3 - Classifications of Fungi

Classifications of Fungi

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Classifications of Fungi

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LESSON 3: Classifications of Fungi

B. Epidemiologic grouping ● Taxonomy grouping

III Systemic Diseases

Table No. 1 Epidemiological Groups

Geophilic (most common) In contact with soil

Zoophilic In contact with animal host

○ Ex: Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces

DISEASE DEFINITION PICTURE

Tinea/Pityriasis ● Malassezia furfur - causative agent;

● Normal skin commensal

● Lipophilic yeast – capsulated: contains

● Looks like “an-an”

Tinea nigra ● Can only be found on hands, palms,

● If found on other location, that will be

Black piedra ● Scalp hair

White piedra ● Beard, eyebrow, pubic hair (rarely:

Dermatophytosis (Epidermophyton floccosum)

Tinea capitis ● ringworm

● Capitis meaning “head”, most often

ELAINE JOY A. DELA PENA | BSMT 3-3 2

● Can be prevented by proper hygiene

Tinea barbae ● Found on beard

Tinea corporis ● Ringworm of the body

Tinea cruris ● Ringworm

● Found in inguinal area

● May be due to sweat allergy

Tinea manuum ● ringworm

Tinea pedis ● ringworm

● Can be acquired when feet got soaked

Tinea unguium ● Thickening & discoloration of the nail

Ectothrix ● Hair loss

Endothrix ● Hair breakage

Chromoblastomycosis ● a chronic fungal infection of the skin

ELAINE JOY A. DELA PENA | BSMT 3-3 3

Mycetoma ● a chronic, granulomatous disease of

Table No. 3 Mycology

● Contaminates or opportunistic pathogens

● Most are inhibited by cycloheximide

● Grouped by type of mycelia produced

○ Septate vs. aseptate

○ Hyaline vs. dematiaceous

SAPROPHYTES: HYALINE MEMBERS

SPECIES DEFINITION PICTURE

Aspergillus spp. ● Growth rate varies, colors vary, surface velvety to

● Mycelium - septate and hyaline with unbranched

Aspergillus fumigatus ● Considered a potential pathogen, especially if

● Phialides with spores are directed upward

ELAINE JOY A. DELA PENA | BSMT 3-3 4

Aspergillus niger ● Black colony

● Black spores surround the vesicle

Aspergillus terreus ● Sandy colored colony

Paecilomyces spp. ● Rapid grower, colors vary

● Long, tapered sterigmata

Penicillium spp. ● Commonly rapid growing; white to bluish-green

● Conidiophores characteristically form a brush-

● Sterigmata are flask shaped

● Most common mold in the environment

● Uncommon cause of human disease

ELAINE JOY A. DELA PENA | BSMT 3-3 5

Scopulariopsis spp. ● Moderately slow growing

● White turning brown with age

● Branched or unbranched conidiophores

● Sterigmata are coarsely roughened