FUNGI Fungi are generally saprophytic, meaning they thrive on decay. They are included in the discussion of microbiology because there are many that are microscopic in nature. They lead to mycoses or fungal diseases in humans. Some are strictly opportunistic because they infect only the immunosuppressed human host. Remember that a major feature is a chitin-containing cell wall. There are molds that are multicellular and made from hyphae, which are filaments. Multiple entangled hyphae are called a mycelium. There are those that have walls separating them, called septate hyphae and those that do not have septa, called coenocytic. Pseudohyphae are short chains of daughter cells that have budded off of a budding yeast. Figure 24 depicts the different types of hyphae:
Figure 24.
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