Mycology Online

Photo Gallery

Fungal Jungle

Mycoses

Fungal Descriptions

	Dermatophytes

	Yeasts

	Dimorphic Pathogens

	Hyphomycetes (hyaline)

	Hyphomycetes (dematiaceous)

	Coelomycetes

	Zygomycetes

	Oomycota

		Pythium

Laboratory Methods

School of Molecular & Biomedical Science
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
AUSTRALIA 5005

Contact:
Dr David Ellis

Email

Telephone:
+61 8 8161 6459
Facsimile:
+61 8 8161 7589

Schizophyllum commune

Colonies on 2% malt extract agar are spreading, woolly, whitish to pale greyish-brown, soon forming macroscopically visible fruiting bodies. Although some isolates may take up to 12 weeks to form fruiting bodies. Fruit bodies are sessile, kidney-shaped, lobed with split gills on the lower side. Hyphae are hyaline, wide and have clamp connections (although many primary clinical isolates are monokaryotic and will therefore not produce clamp connections). Basidia bear 4 basidiospores on erect sterigmata. Basidiospores hyaline, smooth-walled, elongate with lateral scar at lower end, 6-7 x 2-3 µm.

Note: many clinical isolates of S. commune are monokaryotic and therefore do not show clamp connections, therefore any white, rapidly growing, sterile isolate showing good growth at 37C with tolerance to benomyl, susceptibility to cycloheximide, and a pronounced odour should be suspected of being S. commune (Sigler et al., 1995).

Basidiocarps of Schizophyllum commune on malt extract agar.

Clinical significance:

Shizophyllum is a common bracket fungus on rotten wood, and is an occasional human pathogen, principally associated with sinusitis, allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis and as a contaminant from respiratory specimens. RG-1 organism.

Schizophyllum commune

Clinical significance:

Mycoses: Zygomycosis