Yeasts are a growth form found in a wide range of fungi and are not a formal taxonomic group in and of themselves.
Identification is based on morphological (color, size, shape of colonies, capsule production, presence of hyphae or pseudohyphae or arthroconidia, production of chlamydospores), biochemical (assimilation and fermentation of sugars), and microscopic examination (cornmeal agar). Direct DNA sequencing methods and MALDI-based methods (mass spectrophotometry) may also be used for some identifications (and will be discussed later in this course).
The following yeasts will be discussed in detail in this course:
- Cryptococcus
- Candida
- Rhodotorula
- Malassezia
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- Trichosporon
- Blastoschizomyces (Geotrichum)
- Pneumocystis: A yeast-like fungus
