Microbiology Lab: Fungi and Protozoan Pathogens

Fungi

Eukaryotic organisms, unicellular or multicellular.

Hyphae

Filamentous structures forming the body of fungi.

Mycelium

Network of hyphae, serves as the fungal body.

Septate Hyphae

Hyphae divided by septa, allowing compartmentalization.

Aseptate Hyphae

Coenocytic hyphae without septa, continuous cytoplasm.

Mycorrhizae

Symbiotic association between fungi and plant roots.

Aspergillus niger

Mold known for producing black spores.

Rhizopus stolonifer

Common black bread mold, a zygomycete.

Candida albicans

Yeast, opportunistic pathogen causing infections.

Pseudohyphae

formed when yeast cells undergo a process of incomplete cell separation during budding

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Baker's yeast, used in fermentation processes.

Penicillium chrysogenum

Mold that produces the antibiotic penicillin.

Conidia

Asexual spores where spores are produced and freely released

Sporangia

asexual spores where spores are contained in a sac-like head

Ascospores

Sexual spores formed in an ascus.

Saprophytic

Feeding on dead or decaying matter

Zygospore

Thick-walled resting spore of zygomycetes.

Sporangium

Specialized structures the produce and release asexual spores called sporangiospores. (present in Zygomycota)

Dimorphic Fungi

have both yeast and filamentous-like appearance depending on the environment

Plasmodium

Genus of parasites causing malaria in humans.

Trypanosomes

Flagellated protozoans causing diseases like sleeping sickness.

Amoeba proteus

Free-living amoeba, moves via pseudopods.

Giardia lamblia

Protozoan causing giardiasis, transmitted fecal-orally.

Toxoplasma gondii

Parasite associated with cats, causes toxoplasmosis.

Balantidium coli

Ciliate causing balantidiasis, transmitted fecal-orally.

Trichomonas vaginalis

Protozoan causing trichomoniasis, a common STD.

Diatoms

Photosynthetic protists with silica frustules.

Euglena

Unicellular organism with both plant and animal features.

Helminths

Multicellular parasites, including flatworms and roundworms. Multicellular, heterotrophic, invertebrate animals

Cestodes

Flatworms known as tapeworms, segmented body structure. Adult tapeworms are elongated (2mm to 10m), segments called proglottids, hermaphroditic (each proglottid has male and female reproductive organs), scolex at the head end with hooks for attachment, inhabit the intestinal lumen of animals. Examples include Taenia species and Dipylidium.

Trematodes

Flatworms known as flukes, have suckers for attachment. Adult flukes are leaf-shaped, unsegmented, with prominent oral and ventral suckers, monoecious or dioecious.

Nematodes

Roundworms with cylindrical bodies, true body cavity. Adult and larval forms are cylindrical and they have a true body cavity or pseudocoelom. Phylum Nematoda includes organisms like Ascaris lumbricoides and Enterobius vermicularis (pinworms). Most have separate sexes (dioecious) and also reproduce by laying eggs. Eggs are often infective to mammals through ingestion, but some worms can directly burrow through skin. Some can be completely microscopic as adults, while others can become very large. Roundworm infections typically involve many worms per host, whereas flatworm infections usually involve only one.