Several morphologic terms are used to help identify species of fungi:
- Ascocarp: A large saclike structure in which sexual spores are produced.
Ascocarp
- Asci: Smaller sacs within an ascocarp containing four to eight ascospores.
Asci and Ascospores
Asci and Ascus
- Arthroconidia: A spore that is formed from the hyphae by fragmentation. Microscopically, mature arthoconidia appear square. rectangular, or barrel-shaped with thick walls.
Arthroconidia under microscope
Arthroconidia formation
Arthroconidia
- Blastospore: A fungal cell produced by budding.
- Chlamydoconidia: Round, thick-walled spores. May be intercalary (within the hyphae) or terminal (on the end of the hyphae.
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Pseudohyphae: A chain of elongated yeast cells resembling hyphae
Difference between blastspore, pseudohyphae and True hyphae
Candida albicans in its Hyphal Form
Blastospore, pseudospores and chlamydospore
Differences between yeast, pseudohyphae and true hyphae
Pseudo and True Hyphae
- Conidia: Asexual spores produced singly or in groups.
- Conidiophores: Specialized hyphal strands that produce conidia.
- Phialide: A single, slender, tubular conidiophore.
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Metulae: Secondary branches
Conidia and Conidiophore
Phialide,Conidia and conidiophore
Difference between phialides and metulae
Phialide under magnification
microscopic image of Penicillium sp:
1- hypha
2- conidiophore
3- phialide
4- conida
5- septa
Conidiophore + Phialides + Conidia
- Microconidia: Small, unicellular conidia that are round, elliptical, or pyriform (pear-shaped).
- Macroconidia: Large, multi-septate conidia that are club- or spindle-shaped.
Macroconidia and Microconidia of Dermatophytes
Spores of the three common genera of dermatophytic fungi
(a) Macroconidia and microconidia of Trichophyton spp. (b) Macroconidia of Epidermophyton spp, which do not produce microconidia. (c) Spindle-shaped macroconidia, and microconidia of Microsporum spp
Micro and Macro Conidia
Microconidia (MI), Macroconidia (MA) and Chlamydospore (CHL)
