Mycology Introduction Flashcards
Unicellular, budding, moist, opaque, smooth, creamy, pasty colony; biochemically diagnosed and seen at body temperature (35-37°C).
Yeast
Multicellular, fragmented; colonies are woolly, fuzzy, waxy, glabrous, velvety; morphologically diagnosed at room temperature.
Molds
Fungal reproduction involving Conidiogenous cells (Phialides and Annelides); reproduction forms: anamorph, Conidia, Blastospore, Chlamydospore, Sporangiospore.
Asexual Reproduction
Fungal reproduction involving two species of fungi; reproduction forms: teleomorph, Ascospore, Zygospore, Oospore, Basidiospore.
Sexual Reproduction
Fundamental unit of a mold.
Hyphae
With cross walls.
Septate
Absence of cross walls.
Aseptate/Coenocytic
Nonpigmented or lightly pigmented (stains with lactophenol cotton blue).
Hyaline/Monoliaceous
Pigmented by dark melanin.
Phaeoid/Dematiaceous
Mass of hyphae that make up the thallus of a mold.
Mycelium
Vegetative growth of a fungus, including an interwoven mass of hyphae.
Thallus
Hyphae growing on the surface of agar for nutrient acquisition.
Vegetative Mycelium
Filamentous extension above the colony for distribution of spores for reproduction.
Aerial Mycelium
Hyphae produced above the surface of the agar media.
Aerial Mycelia
Hyphae produced on the surface or extending into the agar media.
Vegetative Mycelia
Asexual form of fungal sporulation (imperfect state).
Anamorph
Conidium derived from the fragmentation of specialized hyphae.
Arthroconidium
Fruiting structure that contains asci.
Ascocarp (Ascoma)
Sexual spore formed within an ascus following meiosis.
Ascospore
Saclike structure that contains ascospores, characteristic of Ascomycetes.
Ascus (pl., Asci)
Sexual spore formed as an outgrowth of a basidium.
Basidiospore
Structure that contains basidiospores (e.g., mushroom).
Basidium
Asexual spore formed by budding of the hyphal, pseudohyphal, or yeast cell.
Blastoconidia
Thick-walled resting or survival structure (also called chlamydoconidia).
Chlamydospore
Enclosed ascocarp composed of layers of hyphae that contain randomly dispersed asci.
Cleistothecia
Funnel-shaped structure at the apex of a phialide.
Collarette
An extension of the sporangiophore into the base of the sporangium.
Columella
Asexual spores formed by fragmentation of mycelia into rectangular, barrel-shaped, or cask-shaped, thick-walled spores. Examples: Trichosporum, Coccidioides.
Arthroconidia
Sexual spores produced in a round, saclike structure that usually contains two to eight spores.
Ascospores
Outgrowth of a conidium or spore that is the beginning of a hypha; no constriction at the point of attachment. Germ tubes are typically three to four times the length of the original yeast cell. Example: Candida albicans.
Germ Tube
Tubelike structures that are the fundamental units of the fungus; many join to form the mycelium, which forms the colony of the fungus.
Hyphae
Hyphae containing cross-walls.
Septate Hyphae
Hyphae lacking cross-walls.
Aseptate Hyphae
Asexual conidia produced by simple budding from mother cells, hyphae, or pseudohyphae; characteristic of yeasts and yeastlike fungi.
Blastoconidia
Flask-shaped or vase-shaped structure that produces phialoconidia.
Phialide
Thick-walled asexual conidia formed during unfavorable conditions and germinate when the environment improves; greater in diameter than hyphae and may be terminal, intercalary, or sessile.
Chlamydoconidia
Hyphal tip where chlamydoconidia form.
Terminal Chlamydoconidia
Chlamydoconidia formed within the hyphal strand.
Intercalary Chlamydoconidia
Chlamydoconidia formed on the sides of hyphae.
Sessile Chlamydoconidia
Chains of cells produced by budding that may resemble true hyphae but are constricted at the septa and form branches that begin at the septation.
Pseudohyphae
A mass of pseudohyphae.
Pseudomycelium
Large, round, multicellular structure that surrounds the asci and ascospores until the structure ruptures, releasing the ascospores.
Cleistothecium
Dome-shaped, swollen sporangiophore tip that extends into the sporangium.
Columella
Specialized, vegetative hyphae that act as stalks on which conidia are found.
Conidiophore
Asexual structures that form on the sides of hyphae or conidiophores; may be produced singly or in groups. Macroconidia are large and multicelled, whereas microconidia are usually small and unicellular.
Conidia
Spindle-shaped conidium that is wider in the middle and narrows toward either end.
Fusiform
Pear-shaped conidia.
Piriform
Large, round, thick-walled structure that contains spores characteristic of Coccidioides immitis in tissue.
Spherule
Asexual spore contained in a saclike structure in which spores are formed and held. The sporangium is borne on a specialized hyphal stalk.
Sporangiophore
With knoblike projections. Example: Histoplasma.
Tuberculate
Enlarged structure at the end of a conidiophore or sporangiophore that may bear phialides. Example: Aspergillus.
Vesicle
