Arthrospore: An asexual spore formed by fragmentation of hyphae, as can be seen in C. immitis and G.

candidum.

Ascospore: A sexual spore characteristic of the true yeasts and molds in the phylum Ascomycota.

Ascospores result from the fusion of two nuclei and are contained within a sac-like structure called an
ascus (see below).

Ascus: The specialized sac-like structure characteristic of the true yeasts (i.e. Saccharomyces spp.) in
which ascospores are produced.

Chlamydospores: Thick-walled, resistant spores formed by differentiation of hyphae or pseudohyphae,

as seen in C. albicans and Histoplasma capsulatum.

Clavate: Club-shaped, as seen in Microsporum nanum.

Columella: The persisting dome-shaped upper portion of the sporangiophore, which can be seen in
Mucor spp.

Conidium: An asexual spore formed along hyphae or at the terminal end of hyphae, as seen in
Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp.

Conidiophore: A stalk-like branch of hyphae on which conidia develop either singly or on a specialized
structure, as found in Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp.

Dematiaceous: A term used to denote the darkly pigmented brown or black fungi such as Alternaria spp.

Dimorphic: Having two forms or phases, growing as a mold at ambient temperature in the environment
and as a yeast-like structure at the elevated temperature in the body as seen in Blastomyces
dermatitidis.

Echinulate: Spiny structure on the surface of macroconidia of M. canis.

Ectothrix: Dermatophyte growth on the external surface of the hair shaft, as seen in Microsporum spp.

Endogenous: Originating or produced from fungi within the body. C. albicans is part of the normal
microbiota, hence infections it causes are usually considered endogenous.

Endothrix: Dermatophyte growth inside the hair shaft as seen in some Trichophyton spp.

Exogenous: Originating from outside the body, such as infection by pathogenic molds or dimorphic fungi
(e.g. Aspergillus fumigatus, H. capsulatum) found in the environment.

Geophilic: Fungi whose natural habitat is the soil, such as Coccidioides immitis or Microsporum
gypseum.

Germ Tube: Tube-like structures produced by germinating spores or yeast cells. These can develop into
hyphae, as in C. albicans.

Glabrous: Smooth, for example the glabrous colonies of G. candidum.

Hyphae: The filaments that together compose the mycelium (colony) of a mold.

Macroconidia: Large, multinucleate conidia; they may be fusiform (spindle-shaped) or clavate (club-
shaped). If divided by transverse and longitudinal septations, they are termed muriform (having walls) as
seen in Alternaria.

Microconidia: Small, single-celled conidia borne laterally on hyphae. They may be spherical, elliptical,
oval, pyriform (pear-shaped) or clavate as seen in Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Mycelium: A mat made up of intertwining, branching, thread-like hyphae that forms the fungal colony.

Nodes: The points on the stolons from which rhizoids arise, as in Rhizopus spp.

Pseudohyphae: Chains of elongated budding yeast cells that have failed to detach, as seen in C. albicans.

Rhizoid: Root-like, branched hyphae extending into the medium, as seen in Absidia spp.

Septate: Having cross-walls or septa in the hyphae, as found in the hyphae of Aspergillus spp.

Sessile: Denotes attachment of conidia directly to the hypha without a stalk.

Sporangiophore: Within the Zygomycetes, a specialized hypha bearing a sporangium as seen in Rhizopus
spp.

Sporangium: A spherical sac-like structure in which asexual spores are produced by internal cleavage, as
seen in Rhizopus spp.

Sterigmata: A short structure from which chains of conidia form, as seen in Penicillium spp. Also referred
to as phialides.

Stolon: A horizontal hypha that sprouts where it touches the substrate. It may form rhizoids in the
substrate, as observed in Absidia spp.

Vesicle: The swollen terminus of the hyphae that form a conidiophore, as seen in Aspergillus spp.

Yeast: Unicellular fungi that do not form hyphae or mycelium and reproduce asexually by budding, or
occasionally by sexually produced ascospores. Those that form the latter are considered the true yeasts,
such as Saccharomyces spp.

Zygospore: A thick-walled, sexual spore of that results from the fusion of two aseptate hyphae as in the
Absidia spp