Fungi

Dr. Dalia Ashour

daliaashour1@gmail.com
 Learning objectives
• What is the general structure of a fungal cell?
• What are the major differences between fungi and bacteria?
• What is the difference between yeast and molds?
• Why do fungi sporulate?
• How are human mycoses classified?
Structure of a fungal cell
 Differences between fungi and bacteria
• Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms, whereas bacteria are prokaryotes.
• Generally, fungi are 10- to 100-fold larger than bacteria.
• In contrast to bacteria, the cellular structure of fungi is more complex.
• Fungi are distinguished by a rigid cell wall composed of chitin and glucan.
• Fungi contain a well-defined nucleus as well as cytoplasmic organelles such as
mitochondria, Golgi, and endoplasmic reticulum.
• Most fungi exhibit aerobic respiration, although some are facultative anaerobic and
others are strictly anaerobic.
• Relative to bacteria, fungi are slow growing.
• In contrast to other eukaryotic cells, the cell membrane (plasma membranes) of
fungi contain ergosterol rather than cholesterol as the principal membrane sterol.
 Difference between yeast and molds
• Most fungi exist as either yeasts or molds.
• Yeasts are usually unicellular
• Reproduce asexually by budding or fission, where a progenitor or “mother” cell
pinches off a portion of itself to produce a progeny or “daughter” cell.
• The daughter cells may elongate to form sausage-like pseudohyphae.
• Yeasts produce round, pasty, or mucoid colonies on agar.
• Molds are multicellular organisms consisting of threadlike
tubular structures called hyphae that elongate at their tips by a
process known as apical extension.
• Hyphae are either coenocytic (hollow and multinucleate) or
septate (divided by partitions or crosswalls).
• When growing on agar, molds produce hyphae, termed vegetative hyphae,
that grow on or beneath the surface of the culture medium. The hyphae
form together to produce a mat-like structure called a mycelium. Hyphae
that project above the surface of the medium, so-called aerial hyphae.
• The colonies formed by molds are often described as filamentous, hairy, or
woolly.
• The aerial hyphae may produce specialized structures known as
conidia (asexual reproductive elements). The conidia are easily
airborne and serve to disseminate the fungus.
• The size, shape, and certain developmental features of conidia are
used as a means of identifying fungi to genus and species.
• Some fungi can assume either morphology (yeast or mold). These are
known as dimorphic fungi and include such organisms as
Histoplasma, Blastomyces, and Coccidioides.
 Why do fungi sporulate?
• Fungi reproduce by formation of spores that may be:
1) sexual (involving meiosis, preceded by fusion of
the protoplasm and nuclei of two compatible
mating types) and the form of the fungus
producing sexual spores is termed the
teleomorph

2) asexual (involving mitosis only) and the form

producing asexual spores is termed the
anamorph.
• Asexual spores consist of two general types:
1) Sporangiospores are produced in a containing structure or
sporangia and are characteristic of genera belonging to the
Mucorales, such as Rhizopus and Mucor spp.
2) Conidia are borne naked on specialized structures as seen in
Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and the dermatophytes.
• The fungi in the Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Glomeromycota, and
Microspora produce both sexual and asexual spores

• The same fungus have different names (e.g., Ajellomyces capsulatum

[teleomorph] and Histoplasma capsulatum [anamorph]) is a source of
confusion.
• So we refer to a fungus by its asexual designation if that is the form
usually obtained in culture.

• For example, Histoplasma capsulatum is the anamorph of the

ascomycete Ajellomyces capsulatum. The anamorph is the stage that
is most often encountered in culture, and only under special
conditions is the sexual stage formed. Thus the clinical isolate is
known as Histoplasma capsulatum.
Taxonomic classification of medically
important fungi
 Clinical classification of human mycoses
• Fungal infections may be classified according to the tissues infected as
well as by specific characteristics of organism groups.
• These classifications include the superficial, cutaneous, and
subcutaneous mycoses, the endemic mycoses, and the opportunistic
mycoses.
• Superficial mycoses are those infections that are limited to the very
superficial surfaces of the skin and hair. They are non-destructive and
of cosmetic importance only.
Pityriasis versicolor is characterized by
discoloration or depigmentation and
scaling of the skin produced by
Malassezia furfur
Tinea nigra refers to brown- or black-
pigmented macular patches localized
primarily to the palms produced by
Hortae werneckii
Black and white piedra involve the hair
and are characterized by nodules
composed of hyphae that encompass
the hair shaft produced by Piedraia
hortae and Trichosporon spp.,
respectively.
• Cutaneous mycoses are infections of the keratinized layer
of skin, hair, and nails.
• These infections may elicit a host response and become
symptomatic e.g. itching, scaling, broken hairs, ringlike
patches of the skin, and thickened discolored nails.
• The Dermatophytes are fungi classified in the genera
Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, and Microsporum.
Dermatophytoses: infections of the skin caused by the
dermatophytes.
Tinea unguium: infections of the toes caused by the
dermatophytes
Onychomycosis includes infections of the nails caused by
the dermatophytes as well as non-dermatophytic fungi
(e.g., Candida and Aspergillus spp.).
• Subcutaneous mycoses involve the deeper layers of the skin,
including the cornea, muscle, and connective tissue.
• The fungi gain access to the deeper tissues usually by traumatic
inoculation and remain localized, causing abscess formation, non
healing ulcers, and draining sinus tracts and rarely disseminate
systemically.
• Infections may be caused by hyaline molds, such as Acremonium spp.
and Fusarium spp., and by pigmented fungi, such as Alternaria spp.,
Cladosporium spp., and Exophiala spp. (phaeohyphomycoses,
chromoblastomycoses).
• Endemic Mycoses or systemic mycoses because these organisms are
true pathogens and can cause infection in healthy individuals.
• They are caused by the classic dimorphic fungal pathogens
Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides
immitis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, and Penicillium marneffei.
• These fungi exhibit thermal dimorphism (exist as yeasts at 37° C and
molds at 25° C).
• All of these agents produce a primary infection in the lung, with
subsequent dissemination to other organs and tissues.

Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis

 Candida pneumonia

• Opportunistic Mycoses are infections attributable to

fungi that are normally found as human commensals or
in the environment.
C. Neoformans pneumonia
• These organisms exhibit inherently low or limited
virulence and cause infection in individuals who are
debilitated, immunosuppressed, or who carry
implanted prosthetic devices or vascular catheters. Aspergillus pneumonia

• The most common opportunistic fungal pathogens are

the yeasts Candida spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans,
the mold Aspergillus spp., and Pneumocystis jirovecii.
Pneumocystis pneumonia
Candidiasis is the most common fungal infection accounts for
>400,000 new cases per year and 46-75% mortality
 Human mycoses
• Pityriasis versicolor, Tinea nigra, Black
Superficial piedra, White piedra

Cutaneous • Dermatophytoses, Tinea unguium,

Onychomycosis

Subcutaneous • Chromoblastomycoses, Mycotic keratitis

• Histoplasmosis, Blastomycosis,
Endemic Coccidioidomycosis, Paracoccidioidomycosis

Opportunistic • Candidiasis, Cryptococcosis, Aspergillosis