Hemispora

Generic name for certain species of Fungi Imperfecti in which chains of conidia develop from tubular structures that form as the result of a constriction at the end of each of a series of short hyphal branches; close septations divide the contents of the tube into relatively square, thick-walled, deeply staining segments that eventually separate and become rounded, thick-walled spores with rough surfaces. Hemispora organisms occur fairly frequently as contaminants in cultures for other fungi; they are usually regarded as nonpathogenic forms, but there are a few reported instances in which they were apparently the causal agents of disease. [hemi- + G. sporos, seed]