1. Paecilomyces spp.

are occasional
opportunists in humans and animals. This
fungus was identified during routine
monitoring from a single conventionally
housed laboratory guinea pig with no
apparent clinical signs. Paecilomyces spp.
were most commonly identified in specific
pathogen-free rats from one particular animal
facility with the trachea and lungs being the
most common site of infection in all animals
analyzed.

2. Penicillum spp. are filamentous fungi.

They have branched conidiospores. Conidia
are round and unicellular. Penicillium
reproduces asexually. Species are classified
based on the way conidia are produced. In
some species, conidia are born on phialidies.
In others the conidiophore bears metullae,
where phialidies are born. In other species,
the conidiophore may branch out before
bearing metullae.

3. Scopulariopsis spp. is a large group

comprised of a number of species commonly
found in soil, decaying wood, and various
other plant and animal products.I n indoor
environments it is found on damp walls,
cellulose board and wallpaper; wood; floor
and mattress dust. Species
of Scopulariopsis has also been isolated
from carpets, hospital floors, swimming
pools; wooden food packing, shoes and
wood pulp.

4. Trichoderma spp. are fungal species in a

certain natural suppressive soil prevents
the plant from infectious diseases caused by
soil-borne pathogens. Among these soils
borne pathogen, the fungus Rhizoctonia
solani (R. solani) causes serious damages to
economically significant crops and trees.
9. Mucor spp. is a mold found in soil, plants,
manure, decaying fruits, vegetables and as a
common contaminant of stored and processed
foods in the kitchen. There are about 50
species described worldwide and many plague
water-damaged or moist building materials and
can trigger allergies on exposed people.
Mucor species that can grow at high
temperatures (thermotolerant) may cause
infections in man. Most Mucor species of are
unable to infect humans and warm blooded
animals due to their inability to grow in warm
environments close to 37 degrees Celsius.

10. Rhizopus spp. is a genus of

common saprophytic fungi on plants and
specialized parasites on animals. They are
found on a wide variety of organic substrates,
including "mature fruits and vegetables, jellies,
syrups, leather, bread, peanuts, and tobacco.
Some Rhizopus stolonifer species
are opportunistic agents of
human zygomycosis (fungal infection) and can
be fatal. Rhizopus infections may also be a
complication of diabetic ketoacidosis.

11. Syncephalastrum spp. is a filamentous

fungus that is commonly isolated from soil
and animal feces particularly in tropical and
subtropical areas. It is a heterothallic fungus
and requires a mating strain to produce
zygospores. Syncephalastrum is commonly
considered as a contaminant. It is very rarely
associated with human disease.

12. Candida albicans is an opportunistic

pathogenic yeast that is a common member
of the human gut flora. It does not proliferate
outside the human body. It is detected in the
gastrointestinal tract and mouth in 40-60% of
healthy adults
13. Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus
that lives in the environment throughout the
world. People can become infected with C.
neoformans after breathing in the
microscopic fungus, although most people
who are exposed to the fungus never get sick
from it. C. neoformans infections are
extremely rare in people who are otherwise
healthy; most cases occur in people who
have weakened immune systems,
particularly those who have advanced
HIV/AIDS.

14. Geotrichum spp. is a genus of fungi

found worldwide in soil, water, air, and
sewage, as well as in plants, cereals, and
dairy products; it is also commonly found in
normal human flora and is isolated from
sputum and feces. It was first described in
1809 by Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link.

15. Actinomyces israelii is a filamentous

anaerobic to microaerophilic bacteria which
is a gram-positive, non-spore forming, and
non-acid-fast bacillus (Actinomyces israelii).
It is an organism typically found in the soil and
in decaying organic matter including wet hay
and straw, but is can also be found in oral
cavities, dental plaques, and the intestinal
tract of mammals.

16. Sporothrix schenkii is an occasional

cause of human infections. Sporothrix
schenckii is the pathogenic species.
Macroscopic and microscopic features of
these species are different from each other.
The nonpathogenic Sporothrix sp. may
occasionally convert to a yeast phase at 37°C
. In mammalian tissues, S. schenckii is yeast-
like, appearing as spherical or cigar-shaped
bodies measuring 4 to 6 μm in length that
reproduce by budding. The primary habitats
for S. schenckii are the soil and plants.
17. Coccidiodes immitis is a dimorphic
fungus that exists in two distinct forms,
saprophytic and parasitic. In the soil, the
organism exists as a mold with septated
hyphae resembling a shape of a barrel. When
entering a host, the arthroconidia (spores)
break off from the hyphae and evolve into
round structures called spherules. Then
when inside the host, spherules grow and
undergo internal division, forming smaller
structures called endospores.

18. Histoplasma capsulatum is a fungal

pathogen that can result in a wide range of
clinical presentations, from asymptomatic
through fatal infection. It usually causes lung
disease called Histoplamosis or Darling’s
disease. It is called Darling’s disease
because it was found by Samuel Darling in
histopathologic specimens about a century
ago.

19. Blastomyces dermatitis is one of the

dimorphic fungi, which means it has two
forms. At room temperature is takes the
mycelial form shown below, forming a single
conidium that looks kind of like a lollipop. At
37oC, the mycelium transforms to a large
yeast (8-15 um) with characteristic thick cell
walls and broad-based buds.

20. Paracoccidiodes braziliensis is the

causal agent of paracoccidioidomycosis
(PCM), one of the most important human
systemic mycosis in Latin America. P.
brasiliensis is a soil fungus that undergoes a
dimorphic switch following host inhalation,
due to increased temperature. It is estimated
that about 10 million people are infected in
South America.
21. Malassezia furfur is a fungus,
specifically a yeast, that is approximately 1.5-
4.5 μm wide and 2-6 μm long. It is spherical
(coccal) in shape and has a distinguishing
bottleneck at one end. Interestingly,
Malassezia are essentially the only species
of fungi that are part of the flora on humans
(and other animals).

22. Phaeoannelomyces werneckii

receives nourishment from its use of
decomposed lipids. Its tolerance to an
environment with a high salt concentration
and a low pH allows the fungus to thrive in
human skin. It has been isolated from the
hypersaline waters of salterns as one of the
predominant species of a group of halophilic
and halotolerant melanized yeastlike fungi. P
werneckii has distinct mechanisms of
adaptation to high-salinity environments that
are not seen in salt-sensitive and only
moderately salt–tolerant fungi.

23. Trichosporon beigelii an organism

widely distributed in soil, stagnant and fresh
water and animal excreta isolated from
normal skin, urinary, respiratory, GI tract;
although rarely pathogenic, it is linked to
white piedra and a summer-type
hypersensitivity pneumonia; disseminated
infection is more common in
immunosuppression or CA Treatment
Amphotericin B.

24. Piedrae hortae is a superficial fungus

that exists in the soils of tropical and
subtropical environments and affects both
sexes of all ages. The fungus grows very
slowly, forming dark hyphae, which contain
chlamydoconidia cells and black colonies
when grown on agar. Piedraia hortae is a
dermatophyte and causes a superficial fungal
infection known as black piedra, which
causes the formation of black nodules on the
hair shaft and leads to progressive
weakening of the hair.
5. Fusarium spp. the head blight of wheat
and pink ear rot of maize are two plant
diseases caused by fungi belonging to
the Fusarium spp. genus, causing severe
quantitative and qualitative yield losses. In
addition, these plant pathogens produce
mycotoxins that are harmful to human and
animal health.

6. Alternaria spp is a genus of ascomycete

fungi. Alternaria species are known as major
plant pathogens. They are also common
allergens in humans, growing indoors and
causing hay fever or hypersensitivity
reactions that sometimes lead to asthma.

7. Curvalaria spp. is a hyphomycete (mold)

fungus which is a facultative pathogen of
many plant species and of the soil.
Most Curvularia are found in tropical regions,
though a few are found in temperate zones.

8. Cladosporium spp. is a genus of fungi

including some of the most common indoor
and outdoor molds. Cladosporium spores are
wind-dispersed and they are often extremely
abundant in outdoor air.
Indoors Cladosporium species may grow on
surfaces when moisture is present.