All are dimorphic fungi except: March 2005

Ans. B: Cryptococcus The term Dimorphic fungus has been employed to potential pathogens that grow as mycelial form when incubated at room temperature under laboratory conditions and yeast phase, yeast like cells or spherule form when grown in human tissue or incubated at 37degC on synthetic laboratory media. Highly virulent dimorphic fungi are: Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum, Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Sporothrix schenckii, Penicillium marneffei and Coccidioides immitis. Dimorphic fungi cause systemic mycosis often termed as histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, sporotrichosis, penicilliosis marneffei and coccidioidomycosis. Cryptococcus is yeast/unicellular fungi.