Coelomycetes |
Taxonomic fungal category. The term “coelomycetes” refers to asexual fungi that form conidia in a cavity (pycnidia) or a mat-like cushion of hyphae (acervuli; stromata). Example: Phoma. | |
| Distribution | Where Found | Mode of Dissemination |
| Cosmopolitan. Recovered from a wide range of ecological niches. Approx. 700 genera. |
Saprophytic or parasitic on higher plants, other fungi, lichens, vertebrates./span> | Conidial masses may be dry or slimy. Spread by insects, water splash, wind. |
| Allergen | Potential Opportunist or Pathogen | Potential Toxin Production |
| Type I allergies (hay fever, asthma). Crossreactivity is suspected between Phoma and Alternaria. |
Dependent on genus and species, but the vast majority do not cause disease. | Not known. |
| Growth Indoors | Industrial Uses | Other Comments |
| Yes, on many substrates, including ceiling tile, linoleum. May have little effect on the indoor air because in many genera the spores are not readily disseminated by air currents. | Not known. | These fungi are sometimes referred to as “pycnidial formers.” |
| Characteristics: Growth/Culture | Notes on Spore Trap Recognition | Notes on Tape Lift Recognition |
| Spores are formed in pycnidia or acervuli (asexual fruiting bodies). Spores often formed in sticky masses or exuded in mucoid droplets. | Most are not easily recognizable on spore trap slides. A few (e.g. Pestalotia, Pestalotiopsis) are very distinctive. | Identifiable on tape lifts if the fungus present is one of the distinctive coelomycetes or if the spores and entire fruiting body are present. Pycnidia, however, do not always lift well on tape sampling; masses of very small spores found within a mat of fungal mycelia is often indicative of the presence of a coelomycete. |
