Aspergillus species

A. clavatus Desm. Images

Colony characteristics. Colonies (CzA) growing rapidly, bluish-green, consisting of a dense felt of conidiophoreres.

Microscopy. Conidiophores 2-4 micrometre in length; stipes smooth walled, hyaline. Conidial heads radiate, later splitting into several columns. Vesicles clavate, 40-60 micrometres diam. Conidiogenous cells uniseriate. Conidia smooth walled, pale green, ellipsoidal, 7-8 x 2-3 micrometre.

Pathogenicity. Agent of allergic aspergillosis (Rippon 1988). It has been implicated in various pulmonary infections (Van der Werff, 1951). In addition, a case of otomycosis was reported (Yassin et al., 1978). A neurotoxicosis in sheep was reported by Schlosberg et al. (1991).

References -

Desmazières, J.B.H.J. (1834) Aspergillus clavatus Annales des Science Naturelles - Botanique. 2: 71

Raper, K.B. & Fennell, D.I. (1965).The genus  Aspergillus.Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 686 pp.

Rippon, J.W (1988).Medical Mycology. The pathogenic fungi and the pathogenic actinomycetes, 3rd ed. Saunders, Philadelphia, 797 pp.

Van der Werff, P.J., (1951). Longaandoeningen veroorzaakt door schimmels. Ned. Tijdschr. Geneesk. 95: 1682-1690.

Yassin, A., Maher, A. & Moawad, M.H., (1978). Otomycosis: a survey in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. J. Laringol. Otol. 92: 869-876

Schlosberg, A., Zadikov, I., Perl, S., Yakobson, B., Varod, Y., Elad, D., Rapoport, E. & Handji, V., (1991). Aspergillus clavatus as the probable cause of a lethal mass neurotoxicosis in sheep. Mycopatholocia 114: 35-39.