Fungi (Part 2)

20.02.2019
Fungi differ from plants in
two quite fundamental
respects:
Plants obtain energy from
the sun, fungi do not
Plants utilize CO2 as a
carbon source, fungi do
not.
Plants vs. Fungi

Plants are
photoautotrophs,
whereas
Fungi are
chemoheterotrophs.
 True Fungi
Primarily terrestrial
Spore-bearing organisms
Lacking chlorophyll
Heterotrophic, absorptive mode of nutrition.
Some 80 000 species are known and it is
thought possible that at least a million more
remain to be described.
True fungi are a monophyletic group; that is,
they are all thought to descend from a
common ancestor, some 550 million years
ago.
Classification of FUngi
 The Fungi are arranged into four major
phyla on the basis of differences in their
sexual reproduction.
 These are: Zygomycota &
Chytridiomycota ‘Lower Fungi’
 Ascomycota & Basidiomycota ‘Higher
Fungi’

 In some books, you may come across

references to a group called the
Deuteromycota or Fungi Imperfecti.
 Economic and Social
Aspects of Fungi

(Yeasts) are involved in

industrial fermentation
processes. These include, the
production of bread and
alcohol, while other fungi are
essential to the cheese-making
process.
 Economic and Social
Aspects of Fungi

Many antibiotics, including

penicillin, derive from fungi, as does
the immunosuppressive drug
cyclosporin.
 Economic and Social
Aspects of Fungi

 Along with bacteria, fungi are responsible for the

decomposition and reprocessing of vast
amounts of complex organic matter; some of this
is recycled to the atmosphere as CO2, while
much is rendered into a form that can be utilized
by other organisms. The other side of this coin is
seen in the activity of fungi that degrade and
destroy materials of economic importance such
as wood, paper and leather, employing
essentially the same biochemical processes.
 Economic and Social
Aspects of Fungi

Some fungi may cause

disease; huge damage is
caused to crops and other
commercially valuable plants,
while a number of human
diseases, particularly of the
skin and scalp, are also
caused by fungi.
Fungi and Disease
A limited number of fungi are
pathogenic to humans .
Mycoses(sing: mycosis) in
humans may be cutaneous, or
systemic; in the latter, spores
generally enter the body by
inhalation, but subsequently
spread to other organ systems
via the blood, causing serious,
even fatal disease.
Some fungal diseases of
humans
 Disease Fungus
 Histoplasmosis Histoplasma capsulatum
 Blastoplasmosis Blastomyces dermatitidis
 Cryptococcosis Cryptococcus neoformans
 Cutaneous mycoses Trichophyton spp.
 Pneumocystis pneumonia Pneumocystis carinii
 Candidiasis (‘thrush’) Candida albicans
 Aspergillosis Aspergillus fumigatus
Cutaneous Mycoses

 Cutaneous mycoses are the most

common fungal infections found in
humans, and are caused by fungi known
as dermatophytes, which are able to
utilize the keratin of skin, hair or nails by
secreting the enzyme keratinase.
Popular names for such infections
include ringworm and athletes’ foot.
They are highly contagious, but not
usually serious conditions
 Systemic Mycoses
 Systemic mycoses can be much more serious,
and include conditions such as histoplasmosis
and blastomycosis.
 The former is caused by Histoplasma
capsulatum, and is associated with areas where
there is contamination by bat or bird excrement.
 People displaying clinical symptoms of
histoplasmosis represents only a small proportion
of the total number infected. If confined to the
lungs, the condition is generally self-limiting, but if
disseminated to other parts of the body such as
the heart or central nervous system, it can be
fatal.
 Aspergillus fumigatus is an example of an
opportunistic pathogen, that is, an
organism which, although usually harmless,
can act as a pathogen in individuals whose
resistance to infection has been lowered.
 Other opportunistic mycoses include
candidiasis (‘thrush’) and Pneumocystis
pneumonia. The latter is found in a high
percentage of acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients,
whose immune defenses have been
compromised. The causative organism, It
lives as a commensal in a variety of
mammals, and is probably transmitted to
humans through contact with dogs.
The incidence of opportunistic
mycoses has increased greatly
since the introduction of
antibiotics,
immunosuppressant and
cytotoxic drugs.
Each of these either
suppresses the individual’s
natural defenses, or eliminates
harmless microbial
competitors, allowing the
fungal species to flourish.
 Many fungi produce natural mycotoxins;
these are secondary metabolites, which,
if consumed by humans, can cause
food poisoning that can sometimes be
fatal.
 Certain species of mushrooms
(‘toadstools’) including the genus
Amanita contain substances that are
highly poisonous to humans.
 Other examples of mycotoxin illnesses
include aflatoxin poisoning. Aflatoxins
are carcinogenic toxins produced by
Aspergillus flavus that grows on stored
peanuts.
Amanita