MICRO

Fungal Reproduction Classification of Spores

1. Sexual reproduction
1. Asexual a. Zygospores
• Fusion of 2 identical cells from the same hypha
• Homothallic
Mycelium
b. Oospores
• Fusion of 2 cells from different hypha
• Heterothallic

Germination Mitosis c. Ascospores
• Enclosed spores within a sac-like structure called
ascus

d. Basidiospores
Spores • Club-shaped
• Held externally in a basidium

2. Sexual 2. Asexual reproduction (Conidia)
Classes
a. Size
Plasmogamy • Macroconidia
o Large
o Club / spindle-shaped
Heterokaryotic stage o Multiseptate
Mycelium (n) • Microconidia
o Small and unicellular
o Round / elliptical / pyriform-shaped

b. Morphology and arrangement
1. Blastoconidia
Germination Karyogamy
• Budding à complete detachment from mother
cell

2. Pseudohyphae
• Not a real hyphal structure
• Successive budding yeast cells: no complete
Spores Zygote (2n) detachment from mother cells à chain-like
appearance
• Pseudohyphae have septal constrictions (no true
Meosis septum)
• True yeasts
• Haploid cells present in hyphae o Do not exhibit hyphal / filamentous forms
o Plasmogamy – fusion of haploid cells from 2 different
mycelia (n+n) to form heterokaryotic cell / stage 3. Arthroconidia (arthrospores)
• Heterokaryotic cell/stage – characterized by presence of 2 • Fragmentation from the vegetative hyphae
or more nuclei o Fragmentation starts from the septum
o Karyogamy – fusion of nuclei to form a diploid zygote • Barrel-shaped
(2n)
• Meiosis – production of 4 haploid spores from 1 diploid 4. Chlamydoconidia (chlamydospores)
zygote (1 2n = 4 n spores) • Round, thick-walled, resistant spores
• Types
Spores o Terminal: tip of hypha
• Functions: o Intercalary: within hyphal strand
o Reproduction o Sessile: sides of hypha
o Dissemination / spread
o Also aid in resistance of fungi 5. Sporangiospores
• Bacterial spores: main function: resistance to physical and • Involved only in asexual reproduction
chemical agents à protection of bacteria • Enclosed spores within sporangium
o Bacterial spores are not used for reproduction • Sporangiophore
• Fungal spores: not as resistant as bacterial endospores o Part of the aerial mycelium
o Can be inactivated when exposed at 80°C for 30 minutes o Stalk that connects the sporangiospores
enclosed in sporangium to the primary
hyphae

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6. Conidiophores • Sexual: Ascospores

• Not spores • Asexual: Conidia
• Specialized hyphal strands
• Produces conidia d. Basidiomycota
• “Club fungi”
a. Simple • Septate hyphae
• Conidia are pinched off the conidiophores • Ex. Cryptococcus neoformans
• Sexual: Basidiospores
b. Vesicle • Asexual: Conidia
• Terminate into a swollen mass (primary
vesicle) • Synanamorph – all anamorphs of a perfect fungi (some
• Phialides – secondary flask-shaped perfect fungi can have more than one anamorph)
structures arising from primary vesicles
o Catenate (chained) conidia • Holomorph – complete fungus (including anamorph and
§ Aspergillus teleomorph)
o Phialides
§ Conidia in clusters 2. Imperfect
§ Acremonium • “Fungi imperfecti”
• Only asexual
c. Penicillus • Phylum Deuteromycota
• Primary branch: Ramus
• Secondary branch: Metulae a. Deuteromycota
o Tip: flask-shaped phialid known as • Holding category
Sterigmata o Fungi without sexual spores
• Conidia arranged basipetally (younger • Only conidia
spores are nearer to mother cells than older
spores) Fungal Dimorphism
• Ramus à Metulae à Sterigmata à • Capability of producing both mold and yeast forms
Conidia
• 2 growth phases
Classification as to Type of Reproduction o 25°C
1. Perfect fungi § Mold form
• Sexual and asexual reproduction § Infective form
o Teleomorph: sexual o 37°C
o Anamorph: asexual § Yeast form
§ Invasive form
Teleomorph Anamorph
Filobasidiella neoformans Cryptococcus neoformans Dimorphic Fungi
Ajellomyces dermatitidis Blastomyces dermatitidis 1. Subcutaneous infection
• Sporothrix shenckii
Phylum included:
a. Chytridiomycota 2. Systemic infection
• Chytrids • Blastomyces dermatitidis
• Motile, flagellated • Histoplama capsulatum
• Most ancient, non-pathogenic • Coccidioides immitis
• Sexual: Oospores • Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
• Asexual: Sporangiospores
3. Opportunistic pathogen
b. Zygomycota • Penicillium marneffei
• Zygomycetes
• Conjugating fungi
• Opportunistic pathogens
• Aseptate hyphae (sometimes produces sparsely
septate hyphae)
• Ex. Rhizopus (black bread mold), Mucor, Rhizomucor,
Absidia
• Sexual: Zygospores
• Asexual: Sporangiospores

c. Ascomycota
• Sac fungi
• Septate hyphae
• Ex. Blastomyces, Histoplasma, Saccharomyces,
Candida