Electron microscopic study of conidia produced by the mycelium of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

The ultrastructure of asexual spores (conidia) produced by the mycelial form of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was studied for the first time with transmission electron microscopy, using thin sections of aldehyde-osmium-fixed and epoxy-resin-embedded samples. The various types of conidia observed in the sections correlated well with previous light-microscopic descriptions. These types were intercalary or apical conidia, depending on their location along the originating hyphae. As in previous studies they were characterized as arthroconidia, aleuriospores and sessile or pedunculate pyriform conidia. The sporogenous cells were clearly distinguished from hyphal cells by the thickness and appearance of their cell walls. Copious fibrillar material (glycocalyx) detected at the cell surface was stained with ruthenium red during the fixation process. Typical subcellular organelles (nucleus, nucleolus, mitochondria, ribosomes, etc) were found in most of the sections. It was concluded that the spores produced by the mycelial phase of P. brasiliensis possess all attributes of viable and physiologically competent eukaryotic cells.