SYSTEMIC and PATHOGENIC FUNGI

FUNGAL
AGENT

INFECTION

Blastomyces
dermatitidis

Blastomycosis

Histoplasma
capsulatum

Histoplasmosis

FUNGAL COLONY CHARACTERISTICS

BloodMedium
BloodNonbloodMACROCONI MICROCONI
Enriched
Lacking
Enriched
Enriched
DIA
DIA
Medium
Blood
Medium
Medium
Enrichment
Slow to
Oval,
Colonies are Colonies are Hyphae-1- Hyphae-1moderate
pyriform, to
cream to
white to
2m in
2m in
growth
globose
tan, soft,
cream to
diameter
diameter
smooth
moist,
tan, some
Young
are
are
conidia
wrinkled,
with drops
colonies
present;
present;
borne on
waxy, flat
of exudates
tenacious,
some are
single
short, lateral
to heaped
present,
older
aggregate
pyriform
hypha-like
and
fluffy
to
colonies
d in
conidia are
conidiosphor
yeaslike;
glabrous,
glabrous to
ropelike
produced
es
tufts of
and
woolly
clusters;
on short to
hyphae
adherent to
sporulatio
long
Spicules in
often
the
agar
n
is
rare
conidiosph
center of
project
surface
ores; some
colony
upward
cultures
from
produce
colonies
few
conidia
Slow growth Small, one Colonies are Colonies are Hyphae-1- Young
celled,
heaped,
white,
cultures
White to dark
2m in
round,
moist,
cream, tan
usually
tan with age
diameter
smooth
wrinkled,
or gray,
have a
are
Woolly,
yeastlike,
fluffy
to
predomina

Tuberculated
present;
cottony or
soft
and
glabrous;
nce of
macroconidi
some are
granular
cream,
tan
some
smootha large,
aggregate
or pink in
colonies
walled
round
d in
color;
appear
macroconi
ropelike

TEMP.

30C

30C

tufts of
hyphae
often
project
upward
from
colonies

Paracoccidioi
des
brasiliensis

Rhizopus
spp.

yeastlike
and
adherent to
the agar
surface;
many
variations
in colonial
morphology
occur

clusters;
sporulatio
n is rare

dia that
become
tuberculat
e with age;
macroconi
dia may be
pyriform or
spherical;
some
isolates
produce
small
pyriform
microconid
ia in the
presence
or absence
of
microconid
ia
Hyphae-1-2m in
diameter are present;
some isolates produce
conidia similar to those
of B.dermatitidis;
chlamydoconidia may be
numerous, and multiple
budding yeast cells 1025m in diameter may
be present

Slow growth Colonies

Colonies are heaped,
frequently
wrinkled, moist, and
White to
only
yeastlike; with age,
beige
produce
colonies may become
Colony
Paracoccidiodomyc
sterile
covered with short aerial
glabrous,
osis
hyphae
mycelium and may turn
leathery, flat
brown

Fresh
isolates
to wrinkled,
may
folded or
produce
velvety
conidia
similar to
those of
B.dermatitid
is
Colonies are extremely fast Rhizopus spp.- rhizoids
growing, wooly, and gray
are produced at the

30C

Mucor spp.
Zygomycete
s spp.

Zygomycosis

Aspergillus
fumigates
Aspergillus
flavus
Aspergillus
niger

to brown to gray-black

Aspergillosis

A.fumigatus are usually

blue-green to gray-green
A.flavus are yellow-green
and black
A.niger are yellow-green to
black
A.terreus resemble
powdered cinnamon

Aspergillus
terreus

Coccidioides
immitis

Rapid growth Alternating

Colonies may Colonies

one-celled,
be white and
usually
White to tan
barrelfluffy to
are fluffy
to dark gray
shaped
greenish
on
white but
Young
arthroconidi
bloodmay be
colonies
a
with
enriched
pigmente
tenacious,
disjunctor
media;
some
d gray,
older
Coccidioidomycosi
cells
isolates
are
orange,
colonies
s
yeastlike,
brown or
cottony
heaped,
yellow;
Tend to grow

base of sporangiophores
Mucor spp.-no rhizoids are
produced
A.fumigatus- uniserate
heads with phialides
covering the upper half
to two thirds of the
vesicle
A.flavus- uniserate or
biserate or both with
phialides covering the
entire surface of a
spherical vesicle
A.niger- biserate with
phialides covering the
entire surface of a
spherical vesicle; conidia
are black
A.terreus-biserate with
phialides covering the
entire surface of a
hemispherical vesicle;
aleurioconidia are
formed on submerged
hyphae
Chains of alternate,
barrel-shaped
arthroconidia are
characteristic; some
arthroconidia may be
elongated; hyphae are
small and often
arranged in ropelike
strands, and racquet
forms are seen in young

30C

30C

30C

in concentric
rings

wrinkled, and
membranous

mycelium
is
adherent
to the
agar
surface in
some
portions
of the
colony

cultures