Description: | Magnified at 970x, this 1971 photomicrograph depicted a number of Penicillium frequentans, also referred to as Penicillium glabrum, fungal conidiophores. The fungal conidiophore is a stalked structure, the distal end of which produces the asexual spores, known as conidia, through a process of budding. Conidia are apparent as very small round structures clustered like grapes at the end of these conidiophores. One specie of Penicillium, Penicillium marneffei, is known to cause an illness known as ”penicilliosis”, which usually affects immunocompromised individuals such as those with AIDS, or undergoing chemotherapy. Symptoms of he fungal infection penicilliosis includes fever and weight loss, which are the most common symptoms, often accompanied by skin lesions, anemia, swollen lymph nodes, i.e., lymphadenopathy, and an enlarged liver, i.e., hepatomegaly. |