S. ipomea is gram-positive, aerobic, heterotrophic, and strongly oxidative. S. ipomea produces spores in short, spiraled, chains. On some media, the spores may be compressed into balls. Individual spores are oval, about 1 µm amd 1-2 µm long, with smooth walls (Figure 2). Young colonies are usually white and smooth. As colonies age, aerial mycelium is produced. Initially white, the aerial mycelium turns a distinctive blue and becomes fuzzy in appearance (Figure 3). A method for rapid diagnosis has been developed using ELISA (3).