Wednesday, February 24, 2010

27 - Dimorphic fungi

*Fungus grows in two basic forms i.e yeasts and molds
- Mold form : growth in mold form occurs by production of multicellular filamentous colonies. These colonies consists of branching cylindric tubules called hyphae. The mass of intertwined hyphae that accumulates during active growth is a mycelium. Most hyphal cells are separated by septas but one class of medically important molds, the zygomycetes produce hyphae that are rarely septated.

- Yeast form : Yeast are unicellular form of fungi and they reproduce by budding (eg: Crypotococcus and candida).

*DIMORPHIC FUNGI : These fungi have two growth forms i.e they can grow either as yeast or mold depending on environmental conditions and temperatures. (usually growing as yeast at body temperatures (37 degree centigrade) but as filamentous forms at room temperature (27 degree centigrade) in the environment).

- Examples of dimorphic fungi are :
1. Candida albicans (not other candidas)
2. Coccidiodes immitis
3. Paracoccidiomyces brasiliensis
4. Blastomyces dermatidis
5. Sporothrix schenki
6. Pencillium marfenii
7. Histoplasma capsulatum

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