Fungi: Molds

Learning Objectives for "Fungi: Molds"

After completing this section you should be able to perform the following objectives.

1. Define:

a. mold

b. hyphae

c. mycelium

d. vegetative mycelium

e. aerial mycelium.

2. State how molds reproduce asexually.

3. Briefly describe the following fungal asexual reproductive spores:

a. conidiospores

b. macroconidia,

c. microconidia

d. sporangiospores

e. arthrospores.

4.* Define dermatophyte, list 3 genera of dermatophytes, and name 3 dermatophytic infections.

5.* Describe what is meant by the term "dimorphic fungus", name 2 systemic infections caused by dimorphic fungi, and state how they are initially contracted.

6. Name 2 opportunistic molds and the infections they cause.

Think-Pair-Share Questions

1. A patient infected with HIV and living in the southwestern US frequently takes walks in a dry, arid area that was once a ranch. On a particular windy and dusty day, he hikes near an area where bulldozers are excavating the area for a housing development. A couple of weeks later he develops severe respiratory symptoms. A microscopic examination of lung tissue in the lab shows spherical bodies filled with yeast like particles.

a. What infection does he most likely have?

b. How specifically did he contract this infection?

2. A woman notices an intense itching between her toes. The skin appears red and inflamed with some cracking of the skin. A scraping of the skin is viewed under a microscope and fungal hyphae and large leaf-shaped spores are evident.

What infection does this person most likely have and how can you tell from this information?

(*) or (**) = possible discussion question

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