Mucor Species

Mucor species
Fungus

The genus Mucor is a filamentous fungus with several species, few of which grow well at 37C (body temp.) and thereby able to infect humans. Mucor species have been implicated as an agent in zygomycosis, particularly in the debilitated patient. Mucor is ubiquitous in nature, found in the soil or growing on decaying vegetative matter.

Macroscopic Appearance (Colony) ~25-30C;
Mucor is a rapidly growing fungus which will fill a culture plate in a matter of a few days with a woolly growth resembling cotton candy. New growth is white in colour but turns a greyish-brown with aging. The reverse remains a pale white.

Mucor On SAB Agar Plate 48hrs at 30C

Microscopic Morphology;
Mucor has broad hyphae which are scarcely or non-septate. Sporangiophores are long, may be branched and terminate in a round spore-filled sporangia (50µm-300µm diameter). The sporangia has a thin wall which when mature dissolves (or is disrupted) to release round or somewhat ellipsoidal sporangiospores (4µm-8µm diameter). With the spores scattered, the collumella which bore the sporangia is visible, sometimes leaving a collerette at the base of the sporangium.

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Sparsely septated hyphae, sporangiophores bearing sporangia (LPCB X100)
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Mucor sporangiophore bearing dematiaceous sporangia containing sporangiospores (400X)
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With spores dispersed, collumella is revealed with collarette remaining beneath (arrows)
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Mucor species are capable of producing chlamydospores.
Mucor differs from Rhizopus species in that it fails to produce rhizoids and from Absidia species by the absence of apophysis beneath the sporangium.
Mucor is inhibited by cyclohexamide.

Treatment;
Amphoteracin B, Ketoconazole, Itraconazole and Voriconazole have shown to have activity against Mucor, however clinical response may be variable.

Mucor species computer screen wallpaper (1025 X 768) when posted.
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