Description
Fruiting bodies (conidiophores) and hyphae of the fungus Aspergillus niger. A. niger is a widely distributed saprophyte which grows on household dust, soil, and decaying vegetable matter, including stale food. A. niger is one of the most common causes of fungal ear infections and may result in the serious lung disease aspergillosis in people with compromised immune function or other lung diseases. A. niger is used for waste management and biotransformation in addition to other industrial uses, such as production of citric acid and extracellular enzymes. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM), magnified x415 when printed at 10cm wide.