Computer illustration showing Scopulariopsis brevicaulis septate hyphae with short branched conidiophores and forming fruiting spores (conidia). Conidia are asexual spores which the fungus uses to reproduce. The conidia are seen as structures budding from the end of branching hyphae that make up the body of the fungus. Scopulariopsis brevicaulis belongs to the fungus group Deuteromycotina, and can cause infections of the nails (mainly toenails) and skin, known as onychomycosis. They are also associated with subcutaneous and invasive infections at different locations, including sinusitis, endocarditis, disseminated infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. |