Fun With Microbiology (What's Buggin' You?): Aspergillus species Foot Cell

Wednesday, 30 June 2010

Aspergillus species Foot Cell

Aspergillus (species in general)
Fungus

I came across this excellent example of an Aspergillus species foot cell and wished to share it. I couldn't restate the description any better that what already appears in the text below. (see footnotes for source)

"During mycelial differentiation certain cells enlarge, develop a heavy cell wall and form ‘T’ or ‘L’ shaped ‘foot cells’ (which are not separate cells) that produce a single conidiophore perpendicular to the long axis of the cell. Sometimes it is difficult to see the foot ‘cell,’ but when visible, morphologists take it as strong evidence that an isolate is an Aspergillus species. The erect hyphal branch developing from the foot cell is the conidiophore, which enlarges at its apex to form a rounded, elliptical or club shaped vesicle. (1) "

Aspergillus species foot cell seen at base of conidiophore (arrow)
(click on photo to enlarge for better viewing)

Aspergillus species foot cell seen at base of conidiophore (arrow)
(click on photo to enlarge for better viewing)

(1) Text Source Quoted: Aspergillus: Molecular Biology and Genomics
Edited by: Masayuki Machida and Katsuya Gomi
Published: 2010

(Photos are mine)

For further reading see also;
Mycopathologia
Volume 49, Numbers 2-3, 209-215,
Ratna Singh

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Disclaimer

The information and photographs presented here were compiled for my own entertainment and should not be used as an absolute reference for medical and/or diagnostic purposes. Although I strive to ensure all information is accurate some errors or differences of interpretation may occur. Any errors mine alone. Fine text books, peer reviewed scientific papers and other internet references are available for detailed descriptions and analysis.

My intent here was simply to share some of the pretty pictures I've taken over the years. There is artistry and beauty in all of these organisms!

Enjoy!

Yuri

An Apology

My apology for the lame title of this Blog. My wife suggested I try 'Blogging' to pass the time while recuperating from a major illness. This entire endeavor started somewhat as a joke, my never intending to do much more. Put on the spot, I typed in "Fun With Microbiology - What's Buggin' You?" I now wish I could have thought of something clever and a bit more dignified.

Somehow it all got away from me and I find myself enslaved to the site, trying to find more and more interesting "photogenic" organisms to document.

Another apology appears elsewhere in this blog, however it is worth reiterating here. I apologize for the disproportional amount of fungal posts as this site should be about 'Microbiology'. As I had no original writing to contribute, I chose to share some photos which I had taken. While I would wish to have a somewhat equal balance of bacterial, mycobacterial & parasite posts, the majority of photogenic organisms that come my way are fungal.

I hope this blog site has evolved into a collection of photo-essays on organisms covered in a bit more detail than found at other sites or in most textbooks. I was always disappointed in the single photo depicting an organism as found in most textbooks. Microorganisms are fascinating creatures which exhibit diversity and cannot be summed up in a few short paragraphs or depicted with a single black & white photo tucked into the bottom corner of a page.

Microorganism are quite clever too - they have managed to evade our best efforts in being controlled for long or to be eradicated. As my prof once said "Microorganisms don't read textbooks so they don't know how they should behave."

Hope you enjoy the photos shared here at "Fun With Microbiology - What's Buggin' You?"
Y.

Note on Agar Media Used

As a community hospital, we stocked only the most basic of mycological media.

The majority of plate photos are taken of cultures on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar which in our lab we refer to as SAB for short. Others my condense this to SDA. Please be aware that in this blog they refer to one and the same media. I apologize for any confusion.

Some photos may be from Mycosel™ of Dermasil™ selective agars while others may be from the nutritionally minimal Corn Meal Agar (CMA). The agar used will be stated when appropriate.

I would have liked to have used Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) in some situations.

Fungal Reference Books

Below is a list of fungal reference books I found of help in preparing this blog. Many other fine texts books and reference materials are available and the reader should decide what suits their own needs. For ease of locating these books or further information about them, I have added links to Amazon. I have no personal connection with Amazon and these books can no doubt be obtained through other sellers or their publishers.
Note: Some prices through secondary sources are outrageous. Try the original publisher first and science libraries may carry these publications also.

NEW: Color Atlas of Mycology

A wonderful new publication entitled 'Color Atlas of Mycology' by Dr. Gordon L. Love and Dr. Julie A. Ribes has been published through the Collage of American Pathologists (CAP).

Dr. Love contacted me about a year ago requesting the use of some of the photographs which appear in my blog. I was delighted to be able to share a few of my photos with an even larger audience.

The Atlas is available through Amazon (U.S.) or directly though the Collage of American Pathologists.

A wonderful addition to any mycology library.

Micro Mail

Okay, here it is. You can contact me via the icon above. I've reluctantly added it but may regret it. Call it an experiment.

I welcome any comments related to my posts, be it positive or constructive criticism. Please note that I probably will not respond to most comments as I barely have the time and energy to add new content to this blog.

I absolutely will not offer to diagnose your ailment, be it that dry patch on your backside, that thingy you pulled out of your ear or that green stuff growing on the sides of your refrigerator! Please do not send me your photos for identification. I am not here to help you with your illness or your thesis! Finally, please realize, I am not a physician therefore I cannot offer medical advice.

New: I have not subscribed to the Linkedin service and if my profile appears there I am unaware of its origin. Please do not ask to be added to my non-existent Linkedin profile.

I freely share all my photographs on this blog site to all those who may find them interesting and useful. However, I do ask that you do not claim them as your own work, and give this site or myself credit when they are used publicly.

Nikon photographs are at 300 dpi while the DMD-108 defaults to 72 dpi which was ideal for web publishing. This resolution may be inadequate for print publishing however there is a web site entitled 'All About Digital Photos' which claims otherwise. Please keep this in mind if you request the use of my photos.

Please do let me know where and how you chose to use these photos as such feedback may assist me in deciding which posts to elaborate on or expand when I come across additional pertinent material.

A final note - I do not offer many sources or citations for the information offered in this blog. Most of the information can be found in commonly available textbooks, some of which I've listed in the sidebar above. More specific information can be found in peer reviewed papers & journals. I have tried to relay the content as accurately as possible, however, as the title of this blog implies, I do this for "fun". Have your own fun by conducting your own literature searches. Immerse yourself in microorganisms - you won't regret it!!