Zygomycosis and the Joplin Tornado

The Zygomycetes

July 2011

The zygomycetes again have another hallmark feature.  And that is that they grow very quickly in culture just like they grow inside of a vessel. They are grown in a matter of a few hours and we have a term that we use called lid lifter, and if we planted a culture today and came in tomorrow morning, the lid would actually be pushed up by this organism because its growth rate is so quickly and the organism grows at an upward and it will lift the lid. So we call them lid lifters. As we see the culture mature, the sporangia, these saclike structures form and they become dark.You will notice that the plate will become mottled with black dots and those are the sporangia.

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The Zygomycetes

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Jump to section:

• Introduction
• Tragedy in Joplin
• Unsuspected Fungal Infection Infects Some Joplin Residents
• Zygomycosis
• The Zygomycetes
• The Zygomycetes
• Pauciseptate Hyphae
• Zygomycetes: Basic Structures
• Basic Structures
• Rhizopus Species
• Lichtheimia (Absidia) Species
• Lichtheimia Species
• Mucor Species
• Cunninghamella Species
• Apophysomyces elegans
• Apophysomyces elegans
• Apophysomyces elegans
• Apophysomyces elegans
• Apophysomyces elegans
• Diagnosis of Zygomycosis
• Large Pauciseptate Hyphae—H&E Stain
• Unstained Hyphal Fragment On GMS-Stained Tissue
• Vascular Invasion By Hyphae
• Large Pauciseptate Hyphae—Calcofluor White
• Video Credits
• Questions?