Aspergilli Response to Benzalkonium Chloride and Novel-Synthesized Fullerenol/Benzalkonium Chloride Nanocomposite

Figure 5

Morphophysiological alterations in 21-day-old Aspergillus ochraceus culture (MEA) induced by benzalkonium chloride (0.6 μg mL⁻¹): control colony (a); altered colony morphotype (b); in situ sclerotia (×20) (c); typical hyphal morphology (control, ×630) (d); conspicuous “worm-like” hyphae in mycelial mass (×400) (e); initial stage of sclerotium formation in form of clamps of fragmented, thick-walled hyphae (×630) (f); normal conidial head (control, ×630) (g); bifurcate conidiophore with aberrant conidial heads (×630) (h); and distorted hyphae with intercalary and apical swellings (×630) (i).

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