Alternaria alternata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alternaria alternata

Kingdom:	Fungi
Phylum:	Ascomycota
Class:	Dothideomycetes
Subclass:	Pleosporomycetidae
Order:	Pleosporales
Family:	Pleosporaceae
Genus:	Alternaria
Species:	A. alternata

Binomial name

Alternaria alternata
(Fr.) Keissl. (1912)

Synonyms

Alternaria fasciculata (Cooke & Ellis) L.R. Jones & Grout (1897)
Alternaria rugosa McAlpine (1896)
Alternaria tenuis Nees (1817)
Macrosporium fasciculatum Cooke & Ellis (1817)
Torula alternata Fr. (1832)

Alternaria alternata has been recorded infecting over 380 host species. It is opportunistic pathogen on numerous hosts causing leaf spots, rots and blights on many plant parts. It also causes upper respiratory tract infections in AIDS patients and asthma in people with sensitivity.

1 Identification
- 1.1 Teleomorph
- 1.2 Anamorph
2 External links
3 References

[edit] Identification

[edit] Teleomorph

Unknown

[edit] Anamorph

Conidiophore

Pale brown to olive brown
25-60 x 3-3.5 µm
Straight or flexuous
Individual conidiophores arise directly from substrate forming bushy heads consisting of 4-8 large catenate conidia chains
Secondary conidiophores are generally short and 1-celled

Conidia

Pale brown to light brown
Obclavate to obpyriform orellipsoid, short conical beak at the tip, or beakless
Surface smooth to verruculose
Size
- 20-63 x 9-18 µm in size
- (on PCA) mature conidia typically 10-30 x 5-12 µm
Septa
- Several vertical and -8 transverse septa
- (on PCA) 3-7 transepta, 1-5 longisepta
Chains
- Produced in an often branched, long chain more than 5 conidia.
- (on PCA) individual chains of 5-15 conidia, complex of branching chains may contain up to 50-60 conidia