sterile fungi

{{Short description|Form group of fungi that do not produce any spores}}

The sterile fungi, or mycelia sterilia, are a group of fungi that do not produce any known spores, either sexual or asexual. This is considered a form group, not a taxonomic division, and is used as a matter of convenience only, as various isolates within such morphotypes could include distantly related taxa or different morphotypes of the same species,{{Cite journal |last=Naik |first=Shankar |date=November 2009 |title=Taxonomic placement for mycelia sterilia in endophytic fungal research: A molecular approach |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235928785 |journal=Current Science |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |volume=97 |issue=9 |pages=1276–1277 |via=Research Gate}} leading to incorrect identifications. Because these fungi do not produce spores, it is impossible to use traditional methods of morphological comparison to classify them.{{Cite book |last1=Gherbawy |first1=Youssuf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1iEGCciqckC |title=Molecular Identification of Fungi |last2=Voigt |first2=Kerstin |date=2010-03-03 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-05042-8 |pages=284 |language=en}} However, molecular techniques can be applied to determine their evolutionary history, with ITS testing being the preferred method.According to one study, approximately 42% of fluids collected from broncho-alveolar lavage have had sterile mycelium observed in them.{{Cite journal |date=August 24, 2023 |title=Frequency and Distribution of Broncho-Alveolar Fungi in Lung Diseases in Martinique |pmc=10488106 |last1=Agossou |first1=M. |last2=Inamo |first2=J. |last3=Ahouansou |first3=N. |last4=Dufeal |first4=M. |last5=Provost |first5=M. |last6=Badaran |first6=E. |last7=Zouzou |first7=A. |last8=Awanou |first8=B. |last9=Dramé |first9=M. |last10=Desbois-Nogard |first10=N. |journal=Journal of Clinical Medicine |volume=12 |issue=17 |page=5480 |doi=10.3390/jcm12175480 |doi-access=free |pmid=37685550 }}