Parasitic Fungi
Parasitic Fungi - Related Videos
08:58
Filamentous Fungi
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - The University of Arizona Demonstrating Author: Bradley Schmitz Fungi are heterotrophic eukaryotic organisms, and with the exception of yeasts, are aerobic. They are abundant in surface soils and are important for their role in nutrient cycling and the decomposition of organic matter and organic contaminants. White rot fungi (phanerochaete chryosporium) for example, (Figure 1) are known to degrade aromatics. Figure 1. White rot on...
01:29
Overview of Fungi
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2025
Fungi are a diverse group of eukaryotes more closely related to animals than other eukaryotes. Fungal cell walls comprise chitin, a polysaccharide that provides structural strength, and glucans, which contribute to flexibility and integrity. Other polysaccharides, such as mannans and galactosans, may supplement or replace chitin in some fungi. These adaptations, along with their preference for acidic environments and tolerance for high osmotic pressure, enable fungi to thrive in various...
13:39
Protocol for Production of a Genetic Cross of the Rodent Malaria Parasites
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Cited by 9 •
2011
Genetic crosses of rodent malaria parasites are performed by feeding two genetically distinct parasites to mosquitoes. Recombinant progeny are cloned from mouse blood after allowing mosquitoes to bite infected mice. This video shows how to produce genetic crosses of Plasmodium yoelii and is applicable to other rodent malaria parasites.
03:29
An In Vitro Assay to Quantify the Intracellular Growth of Parasite in Macrophages
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2025
This video demonstrates an assay to quantify the intracellular growth of parasites in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). The macrophage cells are infected with the motile and non-motile invasive stages of Leishmania, metacyclic promastigotes and amastigotes, respectively. The parasites invade the macrophages, getting internalized into a parasitophorous vacuole and multiplying inside. The intracellular parasite growth is quantified using a microscope upon fluorescently staining the...
02:33
A Technique to Develop a Parasite Infection in Intestinal Organoids via Microinjection
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2025
This video demonstrates a microinjection technique to develop a human intestinal organoid infection model. The infectious sporozoite stage of the parasite Cryptosporidium parvum is microinjected into the organoid lumen. Upon invading the epithelial cells of the organoid, it undergoes asexual and sexual reproduction to complete its life cycle and spreads the infection.
FAQs
The infection sequence can be analyzed as a series of linked events: spores reach a susceptible host, germinate, and produce hyphae that either penetrate tissues or spread across surfaces. This growth establishes contact with host materials, while subsequent enzyme secretion breaks those materials down. The released nutrients can then be absorbed, connecting fungal growth directly to host resource acquisition.
Secreted enzymes perform the chemical conversion that makes host material usable to the fungus. By breaking down materials in or on living tissues, they release nutrients that fungal cells can absorb. This mechanism links extracellular activity with internal nutrition and helps explain how fungal growth can support disease-related interactions rather than merely remaining on the host surface.
Susceptibility determines whether fungal spores can establish growth and begin the sequence leading to disease. Researchers examine this relationship alongside host immune defenses to understand why some host-pathogen interactions develop into disease. Comparing fungal penetration or surface growth with host responses connects cellular events to disease outcomes in both plant and animal systems.
A focused investigation can follow spore arrival, germination, hyphal development, tissue penetration or surface growth, enzyme secretion, and nutrient absorption. Researchers can then relate these stages to host-pathogen interactions, immune defenses, disease, or ecological nutrient movement. Organizing observations in this sequence helps connect microscopic fungal activity with biological outcomes in plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Their specialized relationships can be studied for biological pest control, in which fungal activity becomes a tool for managing agricultural pests. This application draws on the capacity to reach a susceptible host, grow through tissues or across surfaces, and obtain nutrients. Biology therefore considers parasitic fungi both threats to crops and potential components of crop-protection strategies.
They connect living hosts with broader patterns of nutrient movement because fungal growth removes and absorbs nutrients from host materials. Their relationships also represent ecological interactions, not only disease processes. Studying them can therefore show how resources move through host-associated systems while placing disease and host interactions within a wider ecosystem context.