AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

ALTERNARIA

ASPERGILLUS

BOTYRIS

CHAETOMIUM

CEPHALOSPORIUM

CURVULARIA

FUSARIUM

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Rapid-growing colonies, grayish to black to brown; underside jet black

Flat, compact colonies, white at first then becoming black, green, bluish or yellow

Soft looking tan to gray colony

Slow growing, flat, white, yellow, tan or brown colony

White to tan to rose-colroed colony, eventually developing White aerial hyphae.

Dark brown to black colony on both sides ragged in appearance.

Fast-growing colony. At first, white and cottony but develping rose to red color on both sides

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Large, hand grenade-shaped spores with both longitudinal and transverse cross walls. Borne singly or in chains. Septate, dematiaceous fungi.

Small one-celled spores irradiating out from swollen base (see arrows)

Colorless, one celled spores borne in clumps

Large, dark, central structure is perithecium that contains ascospores (sexually produced)

Single celled, clear, elliptical spores held together in a ball unless broken loose

Large, bent spores with 3 to 5 cells. Similar to Helminthosporium spp. Brown, septate hyphae.

Largest spores are sickle-shaped and may contain several cells. Small spores with one to two cells have more rounded ends.

AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

GELASINOSPORA

GEOTRICHUM

GLIOCLADIUM

HORMODENDRUM

NEUROSPORA (MONILIA)

NIGROSPORA

PAECILOMYCES

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Dark colony with numerous small black dots which are perithecia (sexual organs for Ascomycetes)

White to tan, flat or fluffy, rapid-growing fungus

Flat, rapid-growing colony. White at first, then developing dark green central portion

Green to gray to black colony on both sides. Often wrinkled and grows flat

White at first but grows rapidly

filling the entire Petri dish in a few days and becoming a salmon to

brown color. Mycelium may hang from the lid of the Petri dish.

Rapid growing, producing abundant fluffly, aerial hyphae, gray to black on both sides. Resembles Mucor or Rhizopus

Flat, rapid-growing, tan-colored colony resembling Aspergillus spp.

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Squashed perithecium

showing many asci, each

containing 8 sexually produced ascospores

Note hyphae breaking into arthrospores. May be confused with Coccidioides immitis.

Numerous small spores held together in a clump. Similar to Penicillium spp. Except for the clumping of spores.

Dark brown septate hyphae bear branching chains of elongate to ovate spores that often contain a small black dot at the end. Spore bearing structures look tree-like

Clear septate hyphae with large masses of ovate spores which are air-dispersed

Large, clearly visible jet black spores.

Similar to Penicillium spp. except small spores are produced on very long, slender structures

SUPERFICIAL

Dermatophytoses – dermatophytes

Genus Microsporum

Genus Epidermophyton

Genus Trichophyton

Pityriasis Versicolor – Malazzezia furfur

Tinia nigra – Cladosporium werneckii

Piedra

white – Trichosporum(beigelli) cutaneum

black – Piedraia hortai

Otomycosis

Aspergillus

Mucor

Penicillium

Rhizopus

Keratitis

Fusarium

Aspergillus

Curvularia

Penicillium

Cephalosporium

Candida species

AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

PENICILLIUM

PULLULARIA (Aureobasidium)

RHODOTORULA

RHIZOPUS

SACCHAROMYCES

SCOPULARIOPSIS

SEPEDONIUM

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

White colony at first but developing blue to green color

Brown to black, flat, greasy-looking colonies

A pale yellow to vivid orange yeast

Gray to brown to black colony filling a Petri dish in 2 to 3 days. Similar to Mucor spp.

White to tan yeast colonies

Powdery, light brown, wrinkled colony resembling Penicillium spp. Except for color.

Fluffy, white colony resembles Histoplasma capsulatum

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Small, round spores borne in “brush-like” formations

Mixture of dark, thick-walled, large hyphal cells and clear spores which seem to be budding

Long, slender yeast cells, usually budding, but may appear to form pseudohyphae.

Similar to Mucor spp. except foot-like structures (rhizoids) at base of

spore bearing hyphae (see arrows). Spores in sporangium clear,

coenocytic hyphae

Typical yeast cells that reproduce by budding.

Resembles Penicillium spp. except spores are larger and form unbranched-chains

Large, rough-walled spores that resembles Histoplasma capsulatum

AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS

SPOROBOLOMYCES

STEMPHYLUM

STREPTOMYCES

SYNCEPHALASTRUM

VERTICILLIUM

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

A light tan yeast colony

Brown to black, wrinkled fuzzy colony

Dry, flat, leathery colony grows close to the medium

Gray to brown to black fluffy colony that may fill a Petri dish in a few days. Similar to Mucor and Rhizopus spp

Powdery to pinkish brown colony that looks similar to Penicillium spp.

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Yeast cells that may form long slender tubes. Reproduces by budding

Hyphae are brown and strongly septate: huge multicelled terminal spores that may either be smooth or rough

Very fine (1um) branching hyphae that readily break apart

Broad, clear, nonseptate hyphae, spores in many slender sac-like structures (sporangia) adhere to a swelling on the terminal end of hypha.

Single-celled elliptical spores borne in clusters that are arranged in whorls

DERMATOPHYTES

MICROSPORUM AUDOUINII

MICROSPORUM CANIS

MICROSPORUM DISTORTUM

MICROSPORUM FERRUGINEUM

MICROSPORUM GYPSEUM

MICROSPORUM NANUM

MICROSPORUM VANBREUSEGHEMII

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Cultured on Sabouraud plus 2 antibiotics at room temp. for 2-3

weeks. Fluffy white colony with slight yellow underside

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics at room temp. for

1-2 weeks. White on top with bright yellow underside.

Culture on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotcs at room temperature for

3 weeks. Similar to Microsporum canis but with less pigmentation.

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics for 3 weeks at

room temp. White to intense orange yellow strains; often sectors

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics for 5-10 days at

room temp. Grows rapidly, producing a cinnamon to brown colored flat colony.

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics at room temp. for

1-3 weeks. White to buff surface: bottom often yellow red brown.

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics for 1-2 weeks at

room temp. Cottony white surface, may develop pink to tan coloration; bottom often colorless to yellow.

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

No distinguishing spores will not

grow on rice

Highly diagnostic large, thick-

walled, rough spores containing more than 6 septa.

Large spores similar to

Microsporum canis but distorted and bent in shape.

No distinguishing spores.

Prominent septa, giving term “bamboo hyphae”.

Numerous, characteristic, Large

spore; thin-walled, pointed ends with 2-5 septa.

Egg-shaped, thin- walled; large

spores with 1-3 septa

Huge, long, thick rough- walled

spores with more than 8 septa.

DERMATOPHYTES

TRICHOPHYTON VIOLACEUM

TRICHOPHYTON CONCENTRICUM

TRICHOPHYTON EQUINUM

TRICHOPHYTON MENTAGRPPHYTES

TRICHOPHYTON RUBRUM TRICHOPHYTON SCHOENLEINII

TRICHOPHYTON TONSURANS

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics for 3-5 weeks at room temp. Primarily wrinkle, flat, heaped up colony with intense red-purple pigmentation. Improved growth with thiamine.

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus two antibiotics at room temperature for 1 to 3 weeks. White to orange to brown colony with many wrinkles

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plust 2 antibiotics at room temperature for 2 weeks. White, fluffy surface with yellow under side: red, orange and brown colors may develop with age

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus two antibiotics for 2 to 3 weeks at room temperature. Usually white fluffy on top with yellow on bottom; many cultural variations; some producing brown or red pigmentation on bottom

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics for 3 weeks at room temperature. Usually fluffy white with red underside. Some strains look granular on the surface

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus two antibiotics for 3 to 4 weeks at room temperature. Off white, waxy to smooth surface with many wrinkles. Often grows deep into medium, splitting agar.

Cultured on Sabouraud medium plus 2 antibiotics to 3 weeks at room temperature. Powdery red to yellow to brown on surface, wrinkled colony undersurface, may be reddish brown. Yellow variant exists

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Few characteristic features. Rarely see spores. Branched, tangled hyphae.

Few characteristic features. Spores among the tangled hyphae: many stimulated by thiamine.

Small pear-shaped to spherical spores. Large spores rarely seen

Numerous, small, spherical spores formed in grapelike clusters: club shaped large spores are rare. Often confused with Trichophyton rubrum penetrates hair in vitro

No large spores. Small spores are spherical to elongate, may be produced directly on hyphae. Similar to Trichophyton metagrophytes but does not penetrate hair in vitro.

Few characteristic features. Rarely spores. Grows in the absence of thiamine

Many small club-shaped spores, often enlarging to resemble small balloons. Improved growth with thiamine.

SUBCUTANEOUS

Sporotrichosis – Sporothrix schenckii

Chromomycosis or Chromoblastomycosis

Phialophora verrucosa

Fonsecae pedrosoi

Cladosporium carrioni

Mycetoma or Maduromycosis

Actinomycotic

Actinomadurae

Nocardia

Streptomyces

Eumycotic(true fungi)

Allescheria(or Petriellidium)

Madurella

Phialophora

Entomopthoromycosis

Basidiobolus ranarum

Conidiobolus coronatus

Lobomycosis – Lacazia loboi(Loboa loboi)

Rhinosporidiosis – Rhinosporidium seeberi

Phaeohypomycosis

Wangiella spp

Exophialia spp

Cladosporium spp.

Hormodendrum spp.

Dreschlera spp.

SUBCUTANEOUS SPOROTHRIX SCHENCKII

(Room Temp) SPOROTHRIX SCHENCKII (37 C cultures)

FONSECAEA PEDROSOI

FONSECAE COMPACTA

PHIALOPHORA VERRUCOSA

CLADOSPORIM CARRIONI

BASIDIOBOLUS RANARUM

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Dark, greasy-looking culture after 1 to 2 weeks incubation on Sabouraud medium

White to tan yeast colonies after 1 to 3 weeks incubation on brain heart infusion agar.

Surface is dark green, gray or

black, covered by silvery, velvet-like mycelium. It is usually flat,

then develops a cone shaped protrusion in the center. Reverse is

black.

Surface is dark green to black. The colonies are heaped, brittle with irregular indented borders. There are brownish hyphae on the surface

Surface is dark greenish, brown to

black with a close matlike, olive to gray mycelium. Some strains are

heaped, granular or flat with a matted appearance. Reverse is

black.

The colony has a dark surface, flat

with slightly raised center. It is covered with velvety dull gray,

gray green or purplish brown, short napped mycelium. Reverse is

black.

Colonies are flat, yellowish gray to creamy gray, glabrous becoming radially folded and covered by a fine powder, white surface mycelium

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Clear, septate hyphae with spores (3 to 6 um) in “daisy-like” clusters

Round, oval, or “cigar-shaped” yeast cells, 1 to 3 um x 4to 10 um

The hyphae is septate, branched and brown. The conidia is dark measuring 1.5-3.0 x 2.5-6.0 um.

Hyphae is septate, brown,

branching and bear Cladosporium of conidiophores. Outstanding features are flasklike shape conidia

and compact arrangement of conidial chain.

The hyphae is brown, branched

and septate with vase-shaped Phialophora type conidiophores. The conidiophores are single or

multiple, lateral or terminal and bear easily disrupted masses of

oval conidia

The hyphae is septate, dark with

lateral and terminal conidiophores of varying size. conidiophores produce long branching chains of

brown, smooth walled, oval, pointed conidia which have dark

scars of attachment

There is the presence of large vegetative hyphae forming numerous round, smooth, thick walled zygospores with two closely appressed beaklike appendages

DERMATOPHYTES

TRICHOSPORON BEIGELII (room temperature cultures)

EPIDERMOPHYTON FLOCCOSUM

MALASSEZIA FURFUR

PIEDRAIA HORTAI (room temp cultures)

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

The colonies are smooth to slightly wrinkled (not fuzzy) and white to tan in color

Cultured on Sabouraud

medium on 2 antibiotics for 1-3 weeks at room temp. Yellow to green colored surface; green to brown underside.

Colonies in Dixon’s agar are

cream to yellowish, smooth or lightly wrinkled, glistening or

dull, with the margin being either entire or lobate

The colonies are dark brown

and may have a metallic green tinge. They are very compact,

have a raised center and are slightly fuzzy.

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

One observes clear septate hyphae which may break up

into individual cells.

Large, club-shaped spores with 2 to 5 septa, often form in pairs.

10% KOH with Parker ink mount showing characteristic

spherical yeast cells and short pseudohyphal elements typical

of the lungs

One observes dematiaceous hyphae containing numerous septa

PIT

YRIA

SIS

VER

SIC

OLO

R

PIE

DR

A

SUBCUTANEOUS N BRASILIENSIS (TOP)/ N MADUARAE(BOTTOM)-RT

EXOPHIALA (WANGIELLA) DERMATITIDIS

CONIDIOBLOUS CORONATUS (25-30 C)

EXOPHIALA JEANSELMEI

PSEUDOALLESCHERICHIA BOYDII (SEXUAL)

CULTURE

The colonies have a cottony surface that is white to gray-brown in color and gets darker with age of the culture. The reverse is also white turning brown with age.

GRAPHIUM, asexual state of P. BOYDII (sexual state). The coremia or Synnemata(conidial structures) of the Graphium state of P.boydii have terminal hyaline

conidia, club-shaped or cylindrical, approximately 6 x 3 um. In the sexual state(P.boydii), large, 50-200 um in diameter, round, brown cleistothecia are found

containing ascospores

SCEDOSPORIUM APIOSPERMUM (ASEXUAL STATE OF BOYDII) The Scedosporium type of

conidia of P. boydii may rise directly from the septate hyphae or from the tip of conidiophores, appear truncated at the base, and sometimes resemble the conidia of

Blastomyces dermatitidis. The hyphae are long and slender, branch at acute angles and thus may resemble aspergilli.

MORPHOLOGY

Slow growing, dry-appearing colonies on Sabouraud medium. Morphology varies between etiologic agents. Use biochemical tests.

Colonies are slow growing, initially black and yeast-like, becoming suede-like, ovilaceous grey and mould like age.

Colonies are flat, cream-colored, glabrous becoming radially folded and covered by fine powdery white surface mycelium and conidiophores.

The colonies are brown or green-black, moist and glistening. With age they become covered with velvety grayish hyphae. The reverse is black

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Variations in acid fastness

help to determine between some etiologic agents. Delicate hyphae, 1 um. All

are members of the Actinomycetes.

Recommended room temperature incubation,

although morphology is similar at both temp

In new culture, oval and round budding yeast-like cells are formed. Subsequently these cells produce septate hyphae with flask-shaped to cylindrical phialides found

at the tip of the phialide and also along d hyphae.

The hyphae have few septa. The conidiophores are unbranched forming solitary terminal conidia. The conidia are spherical, single-celled and have a prominent papilla. It may also produce hair-like appendages called villae.

The conidiophores are

elongated, tubular and with a tapered, narrow end. Conidia are smooth, thin-

walled, and ellipsoid and can gather in clusters

around the conidiophores and at points along the

septate hyphae

RHINOSPOR This organism has never been cultured; its existence as a water saprophyte or fish pathogen is suspected IDIUM SEEBERI (RT AND 37 C)

DEEP SEATED

Histoplasmosis –

Histoplasma capsulatum

Coccidioidomycosis – Coccidioides immitis

South American Blastomycosis – Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

North American Blastomycosis – Blastomycosis dermatitidis

DEEP SEATED HISTOPLASMA CAPSULATUM ROOM TEMP 37 C

COCCIDIODES IMMITIS

PARACOCCIDIOIDES BRAZILIENSIS RT 37 C

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Whtie, innocent looking (but dangerous) colony after 1-3 weeks incubation on Saboraud medium. Note color of underside

White to tan yeast colony after 1 to 3 weeks incubation on brain heart infusion agar.

Innocent looking, but dangerous white fluffy colony on Sabouraud medium after 1 to 3 weeks incubation. Underside may develop darker color

White, slow growing, nondescript colony on Sabouraud medium after 2 to 4 weeks incubation

Rough, dry yeast colonies after 2

to 4 weeks incubation on brain

heart infusion agar

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Characteristic large tuberculated macroconidia (10-20 um) and occasional smaller, infectious microconidia

Numerous, small (2 to 4 um), oval, or round, budding yeast cells

Hyphae forming characteristic arthrospores 4 x 8 um Grows sparsely at37, same morphology at 37 and RT

Fine, septae, clear hyphae lacking spores

Large yeast cells (10 to 60 um)

with numerous, small buds 2 to 5

um

DEEP SEATED BLASTOMYCES DERMATITIDIS

RT 37 C OPPORTUNISTIC

Candidiasis –

Candida albicans

Cryptococcosis –

Cryptococcus neoformans

Aspergillosis –

Aspergillus fumigatus

Zygomycosis

(Mucormycosis) Phycomycosis Rhizopus

Mucor

Absidia Basidiobolus

Conidiobolus

Geotrichosis – Geotrichum

candidum

Penicillosis –

Penicilium spp.

CANDIDA ALBICANS RT AND 37 C

CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS

ASPERGILLUS SP RT / 37 C

RHIZOPUS

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Colony after 1 to 3 weeks incubation on Sabouraud medium. White colony, brown to tan underside

Rough, dry, heaped-up yeast colony after 1 to 3 weeks incubation on brain heart infusion agar

White colonies incubated on Sabouraud medium for 5 to 7 days

Off white, mucous colonies on Sabouraud medium after 5 to 10 days

Upper left: green colony after 5 to 10 days on Sabouraud medium. Colorless underside

All etiologic agents rapidly fill Petri dish after 2 to 4 days incubation. Becomes tan or gray

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

Delicate, septate hyphae bearing oval to pyriform spores, 4 to 8 um

Yeast cells, 10 to 15 um. Note broad-based budding

Chlamydospore agar, 1 to 2 days incubationl Note yeast cells, pseudohyphae and chlamydospores

India ink preparation showing numerous heavily encapsulated yeast cells

Typical Usually cultured at room temperature. Some species grow at 37 C and have morphology similar to that or organisms grown at room temperature

Characteristic features – sporangium, coenocytic hyphae and rootlike structures

Usually cultured at RT. Some species grow at 37 C and have morphology similar to that of organisms grown at RT

Usually cultured at 37 C to inhibit contaminants

Optimal incubation temp is 30 C. morphologically similar at any temp

OPPORTUNISTIC BASIDIOBOLUS RANARUM

CONIDIOBLOUS CORONATUS (25-30 C)

GEOTRICHUM

PENICILLIUM

CULTURE

MORPHOLOGY

Colonies are flat, yellowish gray to creamy gray, glabrous becoming radially folded and covered by a fine powder, white surface mycelium

Colonies are flat, cream-colored, glabrous becoming radially folded and covered by fine powdery white surface mycelium and conidiophores.

White to tan, flat or fluffy, rapid-growing fungus

White colony at first but developing blue to green color

MICROSCOPIC VIEW

DESCRIPTION

There is the presence of large vegetative hyphae forming numerous round, smooth, thick walled zygospores with two closely appressed beaklike appendages

The hyphae have few septa. The conidiophores are unbranched forming solitary terminal conidia. The conidia are spherical, single-celled and have a prominent papilla. It may also produce hair-like appendages called villae.

Note hyphae breaking into arthrospores. May be confused with Coccidioides immitis.

Small, round spores borne in “brush-like” formations