Fungi

fairy ring

a ring of mushrooms that grows in circles. They are a natural phenomenon. Mystical qualities include:

If you step into them, misfortune can fall on you

That's where Faries would dance, and if a human steps in, they will dance until they die

If a cow steps into them, it's milk will be curdled

fungi

Eukaryotes

Heterotrophs - have to get their energy from other things. Includes saprophytes - getting their energy from dead organic matter and Parasites

Cell wall made of chitin

Multinucleated cells

Lacking chloroplasts

plants

Eukaryotes

Autotrophs - able to create their own energy

cell wall made of cellulose

single-celled nuclei

containing chloroplasts

General characteristics of fungi

Devoid of leaves, stems, or roots

Lacking chlorophyll:

Require an external carbon source (heterotrophic)

Carbon derived as saprophytes by adhering to decomposing nonliving organic matter

Carbon derived as parasites by invading living plants and animals (including humans)

Eukaryotic - Possess nucleus, nuclear membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and mitochondria

Possess a rigid cell wall composed of chitin: Cell wall constituents absorb several dyes. Aid in identification

yeasts, molds, and spores

Fungi can be in several different forms:

yeasts

single celled fungi forms

molds

Multiple cells forming a filamentous mycelium

Spores

Fungi reproduce by spores - Sexually or asexually

Morphology, arrangement, and mode of derivation of spores serve as criteria for genus and species identification

spore, germ tube, hypha, and mycelium

molds - Multiple cells forming a filamentous mycelium steps:

fungi habitat

Fungi are found in nearly every habitat on earth where organic materials exist

Cordyceps fungus

Cordyceps fungus

infects different insects, fish, or wood

allergic reaction, reaction to toxin, Fungi that destroy the human food supply, and Colonization of the human body by fungi (mycoses)

Fungi can cause harm or disease to humans in one of four ways:

Allergic reaction

Exposure causes a person to become sensitized (immediate hypersensitivities)

If you have a mold allergy, your immune system overreacts when you breathe in mold spores. A mold allergy can cause coughing, itchy eyes, and other symptoms. In some people, a mold allergy is linked to asthma, and exposure causes restricted breathing and other airway symptoms.

Reaction to toxin

Hallucinogenic properties of some mushrooms

Poisonous effects of ergot fungus (rye smut)

Carcinogenic toxins of Aspergillus (aflatoxins)

Ergotism

ERGOT FUNGI causes:

Ergotism

Is the name for sometimes severe pathological syndromes affecting humans or other animals that have ingested plant material containing ergot alkaloid, such as ergot-contaminated grains.

Causes severe vasoconstriction, leading to gangrene due to loss of blood circulation

The neurotropic activities of the ergot alkaloids may also cause hallucinations and attendant irrational behaviour, convulsions, and even death.

Ergometrine (from Ergot) is used to induce uterine contractions and to control bleeding after childbirth

can impact food crops and food supplies. Can damage corn

ASPERGILLUS causes Aspergillosis

Fungi that destroy the human food supply

Wheat rust: Puccinia graminis

Potato blight: Phytophthora infestans

So, when infected by the blight, it wiped out the whole crop of potatoes. This destroyed Ireland's economy at the time.

The Irish Potato Famine occurred in Ireland during the 1800s. The potato blight infected their potatoes. Potatoes are clones, and they have a weakness of no resistance to potato blight.

Colonization of the human body by fungi (mycoses)

Superficial mycoses - on the surface level of our bodies

Intermediate mycoses - Specific tissue not yet disseminated

Systemic mycoses

mycoses

is a disease caused by fungi

superficial mycoses

Candidiasis (thrush, vaginal)

Dermatophytes (athletes' foot, Tinea capitis, Jock itch, nails, etc.)

Sporotrichosis (gardener's hazard)

Blastomycosis (skin)

Candidiasis is caused by Candida albicans (Yeast)

Candidiasis that develops in the mouth or throat is called thrush or oropharyngeal candidiasis

Candidiasis in the vagina is commonly referred to as a Yeast infection

Athlete's foot, known medically as tinea pedis

a common skin infection of the webs of the toes and soles of the feet

may spread to the palms, groin, and body

signs and symptoms often include itching, scaling, and redness

in severe cases, the skin may blister

It is caused by Fungi: Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, and Microsporum

toenail fungus

the nail will become weak and yellowed and usually bigger than it was before the fungus started growing underneath the nail

Sporotrichosis (gardener's hazard)

Someone working in the garden gets scratched by some of the plants, and there may be spores from the fungus that will start growing on the person's body. It used the abrasion or damage to the skin as a portal of entry

blastomycosis

a deeper skin infection that certain fungi can cause

Intermediate mycoses

Aspergillus: lungs, gut-ingested spores, fungal ball

Candidiasis: children and immunocompromised

Cryptococcus: pulmonary, cerebral

Dimorphic: can be a yeast or a mold depending on the temperature. It can affect any organ in our body. Mold-like at room temperature, they release their spores. Warmer body temperature, they become a yeast with a capsule formed around them

Mucormycosis: rhino cerebral (nasal passages and brain), pulmonary, GI, fungal ball

Aspergillosis

is the name given to a wide variety of diseases caused by infection by fungi of the genus Aspergillus. The majority of cases occur in people with underlying illnesses such as tuberculosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but with otherwise healthy immune systems

People with deficient immune systems, such as patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy for leukemia, or AIDS, are at risk of more disseminated disease

A fungus ball in the lungs may cause no symptoms and may be discovered only with a chest X-ray, or it may cause repeated coughing up of blood, chest pain, and occasionally severe, even fatal, bleeding

Poorly controlled aspergillosis can disseminate through the bloodstream to cause widespread organ damage.

Systemic mycoses

Mucormycosis: necrotizing, rapid, fulminating

Aspergillosis

Candidiasis

Cryptococcus

Dimorphic

Dimorphics

Mycotic organisms that possess different morphological forms under different temperature conditions

Includes Histoplasmosis, Blastomycosis, Coccidiomycosis

Histoplasmosis

fungal infection of the lungs

mucormycosis

is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These molds live throughout the environment. Mucormycosis mainly affects people with weakened immune systems and can occur in nearly any part of the body. It most commonly affects the sinuses or the lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air, or the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or other type of skin trauma.

Cryptococcus

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that lives in the environment throughout the world. People can become infected with C. neoformans after breathing in the microscopic fungus, although most people who are exposed to the fungus never get sick from it. C. neoformans infections are extremely rare in people who are otherwise healthy; most cases occur in people who have weakened immune systems, particularly those who have advanced HIV/AIDS.

Fungi as useful tools for genetic and biochemical studies

Neurospora crassa (common mold) has been used for the genetic and biochemical studies

Human insulin, Growth hormone, Somatostatin, and Vaccine against viral hepatitis

Yeasts have been genetically engineered to produce:

Fungi as food

Mushrooms

Yeast in alcoholic beverages, breads

Fungi in symbiosis

Lichens - are a combination of a fungus and a single-celled algae. The fungus gives the lichen protection, and the algae gives the lichen food. It has chloroplasts and it can do photosynthesis.

Lichen is used as food by animals including reindeer

Laboratory Diagnosis of Fungal Infections direct observation

Skin scrapings, hair, and nail clippings

Tissue imprints or sections - Special stains

culture media of fungal infections

Non-selective - Sabouraud's dextrose

Selective - Mycobiotic, Sabouraud's with antibiotics (PCN, Streptomycin, Gentamicin, and Chloramphenicol. Cyclohexamide: prevents overgrowth by mold contaminants

Enriched - Brain Heart Infusion with blood and potato dextrose agar: sporulation

Identification or Preliminary isolate observations of fungi

Yeast-like (creamy, pasty to mucoid)

Mold (cottony to wooly)

Rate of growth

Colony pigmentation

Growth on media containing antifungal agents

Dimorphic growth

creamy, pasty to mucoid

Yeast-like:

cottony to wooly

Mold:

Mount preparations (molds)

Tease mount - lactophenol aniline blue

Scotch tape mount - lactophenol aniline blue -

Tease mount

For microscopic examination, a fragment of fungal culture is teased out using two teasing needles and placed on a glass slide in a drop of LCB stain

To study the morphology of hyphae, spores, and other structures, tease mounts are prepared in lactophenol cotton blue (LCB), which contains lactic acid, phenol, glycerol, and cotton blue

Microscopic characteristics that should be observed are the following:

Septate versus sparsely septate hyphae

Spores or conidia

Scotch tape mount

On a clean glass slide, place one drop of LPCB.

Touch the adhesive side of the tape of transparent scotch tapes on the surface of the colony at a point intermediate between its centre and periphery.

Fix the adhesive side of the tape over an area on the glass slide containing the LPCB.

Examine the preparation under 10x and 40x of a light microscope.

Subculture, Biochemical, and DNA techniques to aid in identification

Identification of fungi can be done by:

Morels

The Best Fungus of them all is: