Structure and Physiology

of the Fungi

Prof. dr. Tri Wibawa, PhD, SpMK

Department of Microbiology
Faculty of Medicine
Universitas Gadjah Mada
 Tinea pedis
Onycomycoses/Tinea unguium

Tinea imbricata
Tinea cruris = Jock itch
 Nodular skin lession

Pulmonary cryptococcosis Cryptococcomas in MRI

imaging

Bird seed agar plate

showing the typical
brown
colour effect seen
with C. neoformans.
Cendawan
Stages of infection

mouth

lungs

urogenital tract
 Stages of infection

Stage 3
2
1
Dissemination
Epithelial
Colonization
penetration

vector
Introduction

 100, 000 species were identified

 Only 150 Species pathogen to human and
animal.

Responsible to :
 Systemic infections
 Opportunistic infections
 Local infection:
 Cutaneous infection
 Subcutaneous infection
 Mucosal infection
Fungi and other organism:

 Monera: prokaryotes = bacteria, actinomycetes, blue

green algae
 Protista: Eukaryotes = protozoa and other unicellular &
colonial organisms (Nucleated algae, flagellated
water molds, slime molds)
 Fungi: Eukaryotes. Organism that lack flagella and
develop from spores (Yeasts, Molds, rusts,
mushrooms)
 Plantae: Eukaryotes. Organism that develop from
embryos (liver warts, mosses, vesicular plants)
 Animalia : Eukaryotes. Organism that develop from
blastulla (hollow ball of cells) such as: sponges,
coelenterates, worm, arthropods, mammals.
Taxonomy
Zygomycetes

Zygomycota
Trichomycetes

Ascomycetes
Ascomycota
Hemiascomycetes

Fungi Holobasidiomycetes
Basidiomycota
Heterobasidiomycetes

Blastomycetes
Deuteromycota
(fungi imperfecti) Coelomycetes

Hyphomycetes

Kingdom Phylum Class

Pathogenic Fungi Classification
Pathogenic fungal genera grouped by taxonomic class
(the most common genera in bold type)

Basidiomycetes
Cryptococcus
Z Malassezia A
y Histoplasma s
g Mucor c
Blastomyces
o Rhizopus o
Aspergillus
m Absidia m
Trichophyton
y Saksenaea MAN Epidermophyton
y
c Cunninghamella c
e Microsporum e
Entomophthora
t Sporothrix t
Basidiobolus Candida
e Pseudallescheria e
s Trichosporon s
Acremonium
Exophiala
Bipolaris
Deuteromycetes
(fungi imperfecti)
 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FUNGI:

 Non motile eukaryote organism

 Definite cell walls
 No chloroplast
 Reproduce by means of spores:
 Produced either sexual or asexual
 Microscopic propagating unit w/o embryo
 Nutrition absorption:
 Parasit to living organism
 Saprophyte to death organism
Structure of the fungi:

 Cells wall
Contain of polysaccharides:
 Glucans
 Chitins
 Glycoproteins
 Protoplast
 Nucleous: 1 nucleolus rich of RNA
 Nuclear envelope: contain of two membranes with
characteristic pores.
 Plasma membrane contains ergosterol
Fungal cell Cell membrane and cell wall

Mannoproteins

b-(1,6)-glucan
b-(1,3)-glucan

Chitin

Phospholipid bilayer
of cell membrane

b-(1,3)-glucan synthase
Ergosterol

Ergosterol
Synthesis DNA/RNA Synthesis
Pathway

Squalene
 Cytoplasmic organelles and inclusion bodies:
 Mitochondria
 Vacuoles
 Vesicles
 Endoplasmic reticulum
 Microtubules
 Microbodies
 Ribosomes
 Glycogen crystals
 Golgi apparati (=dyctiosomes; not always present)
 A. fumigatus Chromosomes
Size (MB)
1 4.891

2 4.834

3 4.018
~35 copies rDNA
4 3.933

5
3.922
6
3.779
7
2.021
8
Centromeric area Telomere 1.789

From: Nierman, W. et al. 2005. Nature, 438: 1151-1156

 C. albicans Chromosomes
Chromosome R 2.3 MB

Chromosome 1 3.2 MB

Chromosome 2 2,2 MB

Chromosome 3 1.8 MB

Chromosome 4
1.6 MB

Chromosome 5
1.2 MB

Chromosome 6
1 MB

Chromosome 7 0.9 MB
http://cbs.umn.edu/candida-albicans/physical
 Somatic structures of the fungi

Mold form

Yeast form

Dimorphic
 Mold form :

Classification according to hypha types:

 Without septation (ex: Zygomycetes)
coenosystic
 With regular septation:
 Simple
 Complex:
 A stylized mycelium

clamp
connection
hyphal
conidiophore apex
with chains
of conidia septa

hypha
hyphal branch
Coenoscystic hyphae

Regularly septated hyphae

Pseudohyphae

Basidiomycetous hyphae
with clamp-connections
Septate hypha: Ceonocytic hypha:
• multicellular • continuous cytoplasm
• walls divided by septa mass
• multinucleate
• no septa
Pseudohyphae of Candida albicans
Mycelium :
 Submerged mycelium (vegetative mycelium, into the
substrates)
 Aerial mycelium (extends into the air)
 Complex tissue (Hyphae lost the individuality,
morphology)
Yeast form :
Somatic structure:
 Globouse
 Oval
 Elongated single cells

Some has pseudohyphae

Candida sp produces true hyphae and pseudohyphae

Dimorphic fungi:
 Yeast phase (= yeast form) (parasitic)
 Mycelial phase (= mold form) (saprophytic)
 Dimorphic fungi
 Occur in 2 forms
Molds (Filaments) – 25C (soil)
Yeasts – 37C (in host tissue)
Most fungi causing systemic infections
are dimorphic:
 Histoplasma capsulatum
 Blastomyces dermatidis
 Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
 Coccidioides immitis
 Penicillium marneffei
 Sporothrix schenkii
Growth

mycelium :
 Circular colony (in agar)
 Globules colony (on an aerated liquid culture medium)
Mycelium has tendency to grow equally in all direction
from its center point.
Optimal growth requirements:

 25º C - 35 º C except some fungi

 Rizophus microsporus : 37 º C - 50 º C
 Aspergillus fumigatus; 45 º C - 50 º C
 pH (acid). (Culture medium; pH 6 - 6.8)
 Do not require light
 Humidity 70% - 75%. Survive at 12% - 15%.
 Need certain organic nutrient:
 Absorb rather than ingest
 Carbohydrate: Glukosa
 In organic/organic Nitrogen but not atmospheric
Nitrogen.
 Mineral: PO4-, K+, Mg+, Fe++, Zn+, Sulfur, Mn.
 Antifungal agent
Anti fungal agents:
# Salysilic acid
# acidum benzoicum
# Amphotericin B
# 5-fluocytocine
# 5-fluocytocine
# Griseofulvine
# Miconazol
# Rifampin
# Nystatin
# Clotrimazole
# Thiobindazole
# Tolaaftate
# Povidone-iodine
# Aluminium chloride
# Pimaricine
# Chlorexidine
# Imidazol
Reproduction:

 Sexual
includes:
# Plasmogamy (two protoplasts fusion)
# Karyogamy (two nuclei fusion)
# Meiosis
 Asexual
w/o : Karyogamy and meiosis
Fungi Life Cycle
Sexual Reproduction

 Example: Zygomycota, Ascomycota and

Basidiomycota;
 Deuteromycota (fungi imperfecti) has no sexual
reproduction

Asexual Reproduction

In a single cell fungi:

 Budding
 Fission
Yeast cells budding

Budding and ballitospore formation

Sexual spores:

 Ascospores: Ex: Ascomycetes (Piedraea

hortai).
 Zygospores: Example: Phycomycetes
(B. meristoporus)
 Basidiospores: ex: Basidiomycetes.
 Oosspores: ex: Phycomycetes.
 Basidiospores

Ascospores

Oospores
 Structure of a basidium

basidiospores

sterigmata
basidium

septum

hypha
Structure of an ascus

ascospores
contained
within a
sac (ascus)
Structure of a zygospore

rough-walled zygote contains

one or more zygospores
Asexual spores:
 Thallospores:
# Blastopores: ex: Candida sp.
# Arthrospores: ex: Coccidioides sp. Geotrichum sp.
# Chlamydospores:.
Types:
Terminal : Candida sp, Trichophyton sp.
 Intercalair : Trichophyton sp.
 Lateral : Trichophyton sp.
 Sporangiospores (endospores): ex: Mucor sp.; Rhizopus sp
 Ballistospores:
 Conidiospores: Examples: Aspergillus, Penicillium, etc
Types:
# Microconidia: Ex : T. rubrum; T mentagrophytes.
# Macroconidia: Ex: Microsporum sp; Epidermophyton sp.
Saccharomyces with
Geothricum with
blastoconidia
arthrospores
 Rhizopus: sprorangiospores
Terumial and intercalair
chlamydoconidia
 Cladosporium: blastoconidia
Conidiospores
Macroconidia
terminal is the youngest
Penicillium:
conidiospores
 Innate Immunity Fungi
The principal mediator of innate immunity
against fungi is the neutrophils.
– Neutrophils liberate fungicidal
substances, such as reactive oxygen
species and lysosome enzymes.
– They also phagocytose fungi for
intracellular killing.

Macrophages are also capable of combating

fungal infections.
Evidence of neutrophil-mediated immunity to mucormycosis
(lung section of mucormycosis patient). The inflamatory
reaction consists almost entirely of neutrophil polymorphs
around the fungal hyphae
 Many Fungi are Killed by Monocytes/Macrophages
Source of monocytes/macrophages
Organism
Normal Chronic Myeloperoxidase
Granulomatous deficiency
disease
Candida albicans Killed Sometimes killed Sometimes killed

Candida Killed Not killed Unknown

parapsilosis
Cryptococcus Killed Unknown Killed
neoformans

Aspergillus Killed Killed Unknown

fumigatus conidia

Aspergillus Killed Killed Unknown

fumigatus hyphae
 Specific Immunity to Fungi
• Cell-mediated specific immunity is the major
defense against fungal infections.

– Fungi that are present intercellularly in macrophages

are eliminated by the same cellular mechanisms that
are effective against intracellular bacteria.

• Fungi often cause specific antibody responses,

which are useful for serological diagnosis.

• The protective efficacy of humoral immunity is

not established
Evasion of Immune Mechanisms by Fungi

• Since individuals with healthy immune

systems are not susceptible to
opportunistic fungal infections, very
little is know about the ability of fungi
to evade host immunity