Objectives

y By the end of this session, students should be able to:

y Describe the general features of fungi

Aishath Majidha Hassan y Describe the general classification of pathogenic fungi

y Describe the morphology, nutrition and dimorphism in fungi

y State the different types of reproduction and explain the principal

types of fungal spores produced both asexually and sexually.

y They are absorptive

General features
y Eukaryotic organisms y Most are aerobes & can tolerate extreme environments

y Contains a cell wall: chemically unique y Non‐motile

y Contains chitin and other polysaccharides

p y y Possess characteristic range of storage compounds

y Lacks the p
pigment
g chlorophyll
p y
y Two major groups of fungi:
y It can be unicellular or multicellular y Moulds:

y Yeasts:
y Theyy are heterotrophs
p
y Chemoheterotrophic

Major groups
y Moulds:

y Multicellular

y Structures can be seen by naked eye

y Occur in branching
b h ffilaments:
l h h
hyphae

y Hyphae consists of a protoplasm surrounded by a

rigid
i id wallll

y Mycelium

y Hyphae may be:

y Septate or non‐septate hyphae

y Depending on the function

function, hyphae may be:
y Vegetative or aerial
y Yeast
Y : Dimorphic fungi
y Unicellular, oval cells with varying sizes
y Some fungi
g can exist in the mycelial
y form as well as the
yeast form depending on the environmental conditions
y Macroscopically they appear as large bacterial colonies
y Example:
y Microscopic
y Larger than bacterial cells y Most pathogenic fungi are dimorphic

y Do not have hyphae or mycelia y Thermally dimorphic:

y Some produce pseudohyphae

y Usually fungi exist in mould form at 25o ‐ 30oC and yeast form
y Reproduce sexually and asexually at 35 ‐ 37oC under certain circumstances

Growth and Nutrition y Physical requirements:

y Chemical
Ch i l requirement:
i t y Gaseous atmosphere:

y What are the basic chemical requirements for the growth of y pH:
fungi?
y Temperature:
Temperature

y Osmotic
O ti pressure:

y Humidity:
H idi
Nutrition Reproduction:
p moulds
y Asexual reproduction (Sporulation)
y Fungi
F i obtain
bt i their
th i ffood
d as:
y Occurs at the tips of the ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ hyphae

y Saprophytes y Reproduces by ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

y Daughter cells develop into spores

y All spores are identical

y Parasites
y The different types of spores produced by asexual reproduction in moulds include:
y Sporangiospores
y Conidiospores
y Blastospores
y Arthrospores
p
y Chlamydospores

y Sporangiospores
y Spores develop within a sac (sporangium) at the hyphal tip y Conidiospores
y Spores are produced at the tip or side of hyphae

y Conidia may be either small, single celled (microconidia) or

large multi‐celled
multi celled (macroconidia)

y Blastospores y Arthrospores
y Spores produced by budding directly off a vegetative cell
y Septate hyphae segments at cross walls

y Should not be confused with budding reproduction seen in

yeast cells
 Sexual reproduction
p
y Chlamydospores
y Spores surrounded by a thick wall
y Can occur between specific mating types of
different vegetative hyphae or within the
same hyphae ( self fertilizing)

y Different types of spores that are produced

include:
y Zygospores
y Basidiospores
y Ascospores

y Zygospores

y Spores remain attached to the hyphae that fuse to create

p
spores
y A diploid cell or zygote (zygospore) is formed at the site of
fusion
y These spores are released and under appropriate conditions
germinate and form a sporangium
y The sporangium formed is outwardly identical to asexually
formed sporangia

y Ascospores
y These spores are formed in a special fungal sac known as an ascus
y At the tip of the hyphae, nuclear fusion takes place resulting in the
p
formation of a diploid ascus.
y Within the ascus, the diploid nucleus undergo meiosis, producing
four haploid nuclei.
y These nuclei undergo mitosis to form eight haploid ascospores.
y Basidiospores
y Sexual spores formed on the outside of specialized club shaped
cells known as basidia
y Basidia can be found on the gills of mushrooms or inside
puffballs …etc

Reproduction:
p yeasts
y y Yeasts
Y l i l SSexually
multiply ll b i or conjugation
by mating j i
y Yeasts multiply: y Sexual reproduction usually occur under stressful or starvation
y Asexually by Fission or Budding conditions.
di i
y Most yeasts have two mating types
y When cells of opposite mating type meet, first the cells fuse
(plasmogamy) and nuclei fusion follows (karyogamy)
y A diploid cell results which can produce more diploid cells by
budding
y A diploid cell enter meiosis producing four haploid nuclei.
y These haploid nuclei are then surrounded by thick protective
coats andd become
b spores.
y Spores are released and form new haploid cells.