FUNGI

CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNGI

Fungi are eukaryotes that belong to the kingdom FUNGI. Fungi can be single celled or very complex multicellular organisms. They are found in just about any habitat but most live on the land, mainly in soil or on plant material rather than in sea or fresh water. Many fungi are free-living in soil or water; others form parasitic or symbiotic relationships with plants or animals.
Decomposers or saprophytes grow in the soil or on dead plant matter where they play an important role in the cycling of carbon and other elements.
They have no chlorophyll thus, not photosynthetic.
Their cell walls are made of chitin.
They are heterotrophs.
Their body is usually a mycelium. A mycelium is a network of fine tubular filaments called hyphae. Mycelium may be septate or aseptate.
METHOD OF REPRODUCTION:
- - BUDDING
    - - During budding, a bulge forms on the side of the cell, the nucleus divides mitotically, and the bud ultimately detaches itself from the mother cell.
  - HYPHAL EXTENSION/FRAGMENTATION
    - - Fragments of hyphae can grow new colonies.
      - Mycelial fragmentation occurs when a fungal mycelium separates into pieces with each component growing into a separate mycelium.
  - FORMATION OF SPORES
    - - Asexual spores : Conidia
        
        Conidiospores are unicellular or multicellular spores that are released directly from the tip or side of the hypha.
        
        Sporangiospores are produced in a sporangium.
      - Sexual spores
        
        Produced by fusion of 2 gametes
        
        Ascospores, basidiospores, zygospores

classification of fungi.jpg

BENEFICIAL ROLES
- - Production of food such as cheese, yogurt, beer, wine
  - Production of drugs (cyclosporine, antibiotics)
  - Garbage disposers of nature
  - Vultures of microbial world
  - recyclers
HARMFUL EFFECTS
- Deterioration of leathers, plastics
- Spoilage of jams, pickles
- plant, animal and human diseases

FUNGAL INFECTIONS IN HUMANS

- - SUPERFICIAL AND CUTANEOUS MYCOSES
    - DERMATOPHYTES
      - Cause tinea infections
  - Vaginal candidiasis
  - Oral moniliasis
  - subcutaneous mycoses : Madura foot
  - SYSTEMIC MYCOSES
    - Mode of transmission
      - Inhalation of spores
        
        Bread molds ( Rhizopus or Mucor )
        
        Blastomycosis, Cryptococcus, Coccidioidomycosis
        
        Enter through wounds

References:

Carroll, K. C., Butel, J. S., & Morse, S. A. (2019). Jawetz Melnick & Adelbergs medical microbiology 28 E. McGraw Hill Professional.

Engelkirk, P. G. (2018). Burton's microbiology for the health sciences 11th ed.(ch 1). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Parker, N., OpenStax, Schneegurt, M., Tu, A. T., Forster, B. M., & Lister, P. (2016). Microbiology.