BY2012 Microbiology Gallery of Filamentous Fungi

How does one identify moulds?

Many species of filamentous fungi growing on an agar plate

Aspergillus

Aspergillus

Lactophenol Cotton Blue stain Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy

Aspergillus

Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxins, causing ear rot of corn

Aspergillus rot of peaches

Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxins, growing on a peach

Aspergillus flavus on peanuts

Aspergillus flavus on Brazil nuts

Aspergillus spp. growing on wood beams in a derelict house

Aspergillus fumigatus (left) and Aspergillus flavus (right) on Czapek Dox agar

Aspergillus fumigatus showing typical conidial heads with the vesicle, phialides and conidia in chains

Conidia

Phialides Vesicle

Conidiophore

Aspergillus with typical sporangium showing the conidiophore, vesicle, phialides and conidia in chains
Conidiospores Phialides Vesicle

Conidiophore

Aspergillus with typical sporangium showing the conidiophore, vesicle, phialides and conidia in chains

Diagram

Lactophenol cotton blue stain

SEM

Aspergillus with typical sporangium showing the conidiophore, vesicle, phialides and conidia in chains

SEM

Lactophenol cotton blue stain

Aspergillus with typical sporangium showing the conidiophore, vesicle, phialides and conidia in chains

Crystal violet stain

Phase contrast microscopy

Aspergillus fumigatus showing the vesicle, phialides and disrupted conidial chains
Conidiophore Vesicle Conidia

Phialides

Penicillium

Nomarski differential interference contrast microscopy

Penicillium

Penicillium spp. growing on skin of an orange with a dense felt of conidiophores

Penicillium italicum (blue) and Penicillium digitatum (olive green) on Lemon

Two Penicillium spp. growing on skin of an lemon with dense mats of conidiophores

Penicillium expansum causing post harvest rot of stored apples, the rotted areas being soft, watery and light brown

Penicillium spp growing on bread rolls

Penicillium spp growing on bread

Penicillium spp growing on furniture legs

Penicillium spp growing in houses

On brickwork

On a beam

Penicillium spp growing in houses

Penicillium on a ceiling; Stachybotrys is the other greenish-black fungus

Penicillium roquefortii Roquefort cheese

Penicillium roquefortii Blue Stilton cheese

Penicillium roqueforti Cashel Blue cheese

Penicillium glaucum Gorgonzola cheese

Penicillium chrysogenum Penicillin production

Lactophenol cotton blue stain

Penicillium spp growing agar

Penicillium chrysogenum

Penicillium italicum

Penicillium notatum

Penicillium spp.

Penicillium sporangia showing conidiophores, metulae, phialides and conidia

Conidiospores Phialides Metulae

Conidiophore

Diagram

Lactophenol cotton blue stain

Penicillium sporangia showing conidiophores, metulae, phialides and conidia

Lactophenol Cotton Blue Stain

SEM

Penicillium spp. sporangia

Phase contrast microscopy

SEM

Mucor
Lactophenol Cotton Blue Stain

Mucor

Mucor growing on stuffed bacon and cheese rolls in refrigerator

Mucor rot of peaches

Mucor rot of pears

Mucor rot of strawberries

Mucor on Czapek Dox agar

Fungal hyphae forming mycelium over plate

Mycelium of hyphae with sporangiophores

Mucor producing sporangiophores

Mucor, a genus of pin head moulds

Pin head mature sporangia

Mature sporangia full of sporangiospores

Microscopic morphology of Mucor spp. showing sporangiophore and sporangium packed with sporangiospores

Columella

Sporangiophore

Sporangium with sporangiospores

Microscopic morphology of Mucor spp. showing sporangium releasing sporangiospores

Burst Sporangium

Columella

Sporangiophore Sporangiospores

Microscopic morphology of Mucor spp. showing sporangium following release of sporangiospores

Sporangiophore

Columella

Sporangiospores

Micrographs of Mucor spp. sporangia releasing of sporangiospores

SEM

SEM