Intro Flashcards
Fungi are generally classified as either _____ or _____.
Moulds
Yeasts
This is an environmental fungi that derives nutrients from dead organic material and are generally nonpathogenic to humans.
Saprobes
Fungi are (prokaryotic/eukaryotic).
Eukaryotic. Possess a true nucleus with a nuclear membrane and mitochondria.
Unlike plants, fungi lack _____ and must absorb nutrients from the environment.
Chlorophyll
Fungal cell walls are made of _____. whereas those of plants contain cellulose.
Chitin
Most fungi are obligate aerobes that grow best at a/an (acidic/neutral/basic) pH, although they tolerate a wide range of pH.
Neutral
These are unicellular, single vegetative cells that typically form a smooth, creamy, bacterial-like colony without aerial hypae.
Yeasts
Because yeasts have similar macroscopic and microscopic morphologies, their identification is based primarily on _____.
Biochemical testing
Yeasts reproduce by _____, with subsequent production of blastoconidium (daughter cell).
Budding
This process involves lysis of the yeast cell wall so that a blastoconidium can form.
Budding
As the blastoconidium enlarges, the nucleus of parent cell undergoes mitosis. Once the new nucleus is passed into the daughter cell, a _____ forms and the daughter cell beaks free.
Septum
Most multicellular moulds have a _____ appearance because of the formation of mycelia.
“Fyzzy” or wooly
The mycelia are made up of many intertwining long strands of tubelike structures called _____, which are either aerial or vegetative.
Hyphae
The fundamental unit of fungi
Hyphae
This type of mycelia extend above the surface of the colony and are responsible for the fuzzy appearance. In addition, mycelia can support the reproductive structures that produce conidia.
Aerial mycelia (Reproductive)
This part of the mycelia can be used to identify the different fungal genera.
Conidia
This type of mycelia extend downward into the medium to absorb nutrients.
Vegetative mycelia (Thallus)
A type of hyphae that have swollen, branching tips that resemble moose antlers.
Antler hyphae (Favic chandelier)
A type of hyphae that contain enlarged, club-shaped areas.
Racquet hyphae
A type of hyphae that are tightly coiled
Spiral hyphae
These are rootlike structures, might be seen in some of the Zygomycetes, and their presence and placement can assist with identification.
Rhizoids
A type of fungal hyphae that show frequent cross-walls occurring perpendicularly to the outer walls of the hyphae.
Septate hyphae
A type of fungal hyphae that have few cross-walls at irregular intervals.
Sparsely septate hyphae
This term, meaning the absent of septations, has historically been used to describe the hyphae of the Zygomycetes.
Aseptate
This type of hyphae are either nonpigmented or lightly pigmented.
Hyaline (moniliaceous) hyphae
This type of hyphae are darkly pigmented because of the presence of melanin in the cell wall. Depending on the amount of melanin present, the hyphae will appear pale to dark brown or nearly black.
Dematiaceous hyphae
All fungal elements appear black when this type of stain is used.
Gomori methylene stain
This stain specifically stains melanin causing dematiaceous hyphae to appear brown whereas hyaline hyphae, remain pink to red.
Fontana-Mason stain
When using Fontana-Mason stain, dematiaceous hyphae will be colored _____.
Brown
When using Fontana-Mason stain, hyaline hyphae will be colored _____.
Pink to red
This term refers to the ability of some fungi to exist inn two forms, depending on growth conditions.
Dimorphism
Dimorphic fungi include what two phases?
Mould phase
Yeast or spherule phase
This is a phase of the dimporphic fungi that is seen in vivo or when the organism is grown at 37 C with increased CO2.
Yeast or spherule phase
This is a phase of the dimporphic fungi that is seen when the organism is grown at room temperature (22 - 25 C) in ambient air conditions.
Mould phase