Characteristic,

Diagnosis,
Pathogenesis and Immunity of Fungi

Department of Microbiology
Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University
2018
 Introduction
Fungi general characteristics:
• Non-photosynthetic (chemoheterotrophs)
• Generally saprophytic
• Secrete degradative enzymes (cellulases, proteases,
nucleases)
• Some pathogenic to human
• Non-motile eukaryotes
• Cell wall composed of chitin (N-acetylglucosamine
polymer)
• Membrane à ergosterol
 Fungi Structure
• Cell wall serves to:
1. Provide shape & form
2. Protect against mechanical injury
3. Prevent osmotic lysis
4. Provide protection against the ingress of potentially harmful
macromolecules
• Plasma membrane à regulates the passage of materials in and out
of the cell (selectively permeable)
• Microtubules à movement of organelles, chromosomes, nuclei &
Golgi vesicles
• Organelles
• Golgi vesicles
• Nuclei
Fungi Cell Wall & Membrane
a. Mannoproteins
b. β-(1,6)-glucan
c. β-(1,3)-glucan
d. Chitin
e. Cell membran
phospholipid
bilayer
f. Ergosterol

Practical Handbook of Microbiology, 2015.

 Fungi forms
• Three groups of pathogenic fungi form:
a. Yeast-like fungi
b. Mold or filamentous fungi
c. Dimorphic fungi
 Yeast-like Fungi
• Round or oval, unicellular.
• Pseudomycellium à Candida spp.
• Spherical with a capsule à Cryptococcus spp.
• Asexual budding; Ascomycota à sexual
reproduction

A Concise Manual of Pathogenic Microbiology, 2013.

 Molds or Filamentous Fungi
• Consist of several thallus
• Thallus includes mycelium, sporangiophore or
conidiophore, spore and spore-bearing structure
• Mycelium à hyphae growth
• Hyphae à septate or aseptate

A Concise Manual of Pathogenic Microbiology, 2013.

 Dimorphic Fungi
• Exhibit properties of both yeast (host tissue)
and molds (natural habitat).
• Majority pathogenic
 Fungal Reproduction
Asexual Spora Sexual

Conidia Sporangiospora Zygospora

Artroconidia/ Artrospora Basidiospora

Blastoconidia/
Ascospora
Blastospora

Clamidoconidia/
clamidospora

Phyaloconidia
 Spora Aseksual

Molds or Filamentous Form Yeast form

Sherris Medical Microbiology An Introduction to Infectious Diseases, 2004.

Spora Seksual

Foundations in Microbiology, 2012.

 Fungal Division
• Taxonomic divisions of fungi (5 phylum):
a. Zygomycota (Zygomycetes)
Sexual à zigospores
Asexual à mostly sporangiospores, some conidia
Hypha à usually non septate
Examples: Rhizopus, Mucor, Absidia, Circinella
b. Ascomycota (Ascomycetes) (85% patogen)
Sexual à ascospores
Asexual à conidia
Hypha à porous septa
Examples: Trichophyton sp., Microsporum sp.,
Epidermophyton sp., Penicillium, Saccharomyces, Histoplasma,
Microsporum, Pneumocystis (carinii) jiroveci, Coccidioides immitis,
Candida albicans, Cladosporium, Stachybotrys
 Fungal Division
c. Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
Sexual à basidiospores
Asexual à conidia
Hypha à incomplete septate hyphae
Examples: Cryptococcus neoformans
d. Chytridiomycota à plants
Sexual reproduction à unknown
Asexual reproduction à zoospore
e. Glomeromycota à plants
No sexual reproduction
Phylogeny of dermatophytes

Theodore C. White et al. Eukaryotic Cell 2008;7:1238-1245

Morphology

Bacterial and fungal colonies on microbiological media

Bacteria: Most bacterial colonies appear white, cream, or yellow in
color, and fairly circular in shape.

Yeasts: Yeast colonies generally look similar to bacterial colonies.

Some species, such as Candida, can grow as white patches with a
glossy surface.
Molds: Molds often appear whitish grey, with fuzzy edges.
Comparison of
yeast cell and
bacteria cell size
Yeast are unicellular fungi + ‘budding’
Some yeast can be seen as ‘budding cells + pseudohyphae
Yeast-like fungi
comprise of yeast cells
and true hyphae
Yeast-like fungi comprise
of hyphae without
budding cell
Colonies look-like yeast
when young
White yeast - common yeast causing infection in
human such as Candida spp and Cryptococcus spp
Black yeast – Mostly unicellular budding cells when young. Colonies are
mucoid as in white yeast (Exophiala)
Black yeast showing budding
cells and true hyphae. This yeast
form more hyphae when matured
Hyaline hyphae Dematiaceous hyphae
Vegetative hyphae

Spiral hyphae
Vegetative hyphae

Favic chandelier
ARTHROCONIDIA
CHLAMYDOCONIDIA
BLASTOSPORES
ANNELLOCONIDIA
POROCONIDIA
Botryoblastoconidia
Mould colonial
morphology