MEDICAL MYCOLOGY

Dr Tadayo Hashimoto M.D.
Professor
Department of Microbiology & Immunology

2. Dimorphism in fungi refers to:

the ability of fungi to produce two types of spores
the characteristic of certain fungi to develop male and female hyphae in one colony
the ability of fungi to grow in two different forms, yeast and mycelial, depending on environmental conditions
the ability of fungi to undergo mitosis as well as meiosis
the property of fungi to develop spherical and elongated forms of nuclei

(C) All other definitions are incorrect. Many medically important fungi such as Candida albicans and Histoplasma capsulatum characteristically display this property. Temperatures, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and certain carbon and nitrogen sources are known to affect the morphogenesis of dimorphic fungi. (Joklik et al, p. 1072; Ryan et al, p. 577)

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Last Reviewed: Apr 15, 2006
Created: Aug 8, 1996