Mycology – Study of Fungi MCQs
Mycology (Study of Fungi) MCQs.
Format: Question → 4 options → correct answer marked with ✅ → brief explanation under every option. Difficulty spans CBSE/ICSE & NEET/CUET to CSIR-NET/GATE/DBT-BET and international exams (GRE/BMAT/IMAT; medical overlap for USMLE/PLAB/AMC).
Part 1 — Mycology MCQs (Q1–Q25)
Q1. Mycology is the study of:
A. Bacteria
• Microbiology branch, not mycology.
B. Fungi ✅
• “Mykes” = fungus; study of fungi.
C. Viruses
• Virology studies viruses.
D. Protozoa
• Protozoology covers them.
Q2. The main cell wall polymer of true fungi is:
A. Cellulose
• Plants/oomycetes, not true fungi.
B. Chitin (β-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine) ✅
• Signature wall component of Eumycota.
C. Peptidoglycan
• Bacteria only.
D. Silica
• Diatoms, not fungi.
Q3. The primary sterol in fungal cell membranes is:
A. Cholesterol
• Animal membranes.
B. Ergosterol ✅
• Target for azoles & polyenes.
C. Stigmasterol
• Plants.
D. Sitosterol
• Plants.
Q4. A mass of fungal hyphae is called:
A. Thallus
• General body, not specific.
B. Mycelium ✅
• Network of hyphae forming the body.
C. Conidium
• Asexual spore.
D. Sclerotium
• Hardened survival structure.
Q5. Septate hyphae are typical of:
A. Ascomycetes & basidiomycetes ✅
• Hyphae with cross-walls (septa).
B. Zygomycetes (Mucorales)
• Usually coenocytic (aseptate).
C. Oomycetes
• Not true fungi, cellulose walls.
D. Chytrids only
• Often have rhizoids, not typical septa.
Q6. The dikaryotic (n+n) phase is characteristic of:
A. Bacteria
• No such phase.
B. Higher fungi (Ascomycota/Basidiomycota) ✅
• Nuclei pair without fusing until karyogamy.
C. Protozoa
• Different cycles.
D. Viruses
• Acellular.
Q7. Correct order in fungal sexual reproduction:
A. Karyogamy → plasmogamy → meiosis
• Wrong order.
B. Plasmogamy → karyogamy → meiosis ✅
• Fusion of cytoplasm, then nuclei, then reduction division.
C. Meiosis → plasmogamy → karyogamy
• Impossible.
D. Plasmogamy → meiosis → karyogamy
• Out of order.
Q8. Ascospores are formed inside a:
A. Basidium
• Basidiospores form here.
B. Ascus (sac) ✅
• Diagnostic of Ascomycota.
C. Sporangium
• Sporangiospores are asexual.
D. Conidiophore
• Bears conidia (asexual).
Q9. Basidiospores are produced by:
A. Ascomycetes
• Make ascospores.
B. Basidiomycetes (mushrooms, smuts, rusts) ✅
• Spores on basidia.
C. Zygomycetes
• Make zygospores sexually.
D. Yeasts only
• Many yeasts are ascomycetes.
Q10. Conidia are:
A. Motile spores with flagella
• Chytrids make zoospores; conidia are non-motile.
B. Sexual spores only
• They’re asexual.
C. Asexual, non-motile spores borne on conidiophores ✅
• Common in ascomycetes (e.g., Aspergillus).
D. Stored in asci
• Those are ascospores.
Q11. Zygospores are sexual spores of:
A. Basidiomycota
• Basidiospores instead.
B. Ascomycota
• Ascospores instead.
C. Former “Zygomycota” (now Mucorales/Zoopagomycota) ✅
• Thick-walled zygosporangia after gametangial fusion.
D. Chytridiomycota
• Zoospores.
Q12. Dimorphic fungi (pathogens) typically are:
A. Mold at 25 °C, yeast at 37 °C ✅
• “Mold in the cold, yeast in the heat.”
B. Yeast at 25 °C, mold at 37 °C
• Reverse of classic rule.
C. Always yeast
• Not dimorphic.
D. Always mold
• Not dimorphic.
Q13. A lichen is a symbiosis between a fungus and:
A. Insect
• Not lichen.
B. Alga and/or cyanobacterium ✅
• Photobiont provides sugars; fungus provides shelter.
C. Bacteriophage
• Irrelevant.
D. Plant root
• Mycorrhizae, not lichens.
Q14. Mycorrhizae benefit plants mainly by:
A. Fixing atmospheric nitrogen
• Mostly rhizobia/cyanobacteria.
B. Enhancing water & mineral uptake (P, N); receiving sugars ✅
• Mutualism; includes arbuscular mycorrhizae.
C. Causing leaf rust
• Pathogenic fungi do that.
D. Forming nodules
• Bacterial process.
Q15. Sabouraud dextrose agar is used to culture fungi because it:
A. Is highly alkaline
• Fungi prefer mildly acidic (pH ~5.6).
B. Has low pH & high dextrose, suppressing bacteria ✅
• Favors fungal growth.
C. Contains antibiotics only
• Sometimes added (chloramphenicol), but not defining.
D. Selects only yeasts
• Molds also grow.
Q16. KOH wet mount helps diagnose superficial mycoses by:
A. Staining DNA
• Not specific.
B. Dissolving keratin to reveal fungal hyphae/yeasts ✅
• 10–20% KOH clears background.
C. Culturing fungi quickly
• It’s microscopy, not culture.
D. Killing fungi
• Not the goal.
Q17. GMS (Grocott methenamine silver) stain is best to:
A. Detect acid-fast bacilli
• Ziehl–Neelsen for that.
B. Highlight fungal cell walls (black on green background) ✅
• Sensitive histopath stain.
C. Visualize lipids
• Oil Red O/Sudan.
D. Count bacteria
• Not used.
Q18. Candida albicans typically reproduces by:
A. Binary fission only
• S. pombe fissions; Candida buds.
B. Budding yeast with pseudohyphae; forms germ tubes ✅
• Germ-tube test for ID.
C. Sporangia with sporangiospores
• Zygomycetes.
D. Basidia with clamp connections
• Basidiomycetes.
Q19. Aspergillus produces which asexual structure?
A. Sporangium
• Rhizopus/Mucor.
B. Conidiophore with chains of conidia ✅
• Radiating head; acute-angle septate hyphae in tissue.
C. Basidiocarp
• Mushrooms (basidiomycetes).
D. Ascus
• Sexual sac of ascomycetes.
Q20. Cryptococcus neoformans is identified in CSF by:
A. KOH only
• Low sensitivity.
B. India ink/negative stain showing encapsulated yeasts; antigen test ✅
• Prominent polysaccharide capsule.
C. Acid-fast stain
• Not acid-fast.
D. Gram-negative rods
• It’s a yeast.
Q21. Amphotericin B (polyenes) act by:
A. Inhibiting β-glucan synthesis
• Echinocandins do that.
B. Binding ergosterol → membrane pores → cell death ✅
• Broad-spectrum fungicidal.
C. Blocking lanosterol demethylase
• Azoles.
D. Inhibiting squalene epoxidase
• Allylamines (terbinafine).
Q22. Azole antifungals (e.g., fluconazole) target:
A. DNA gyrase
• Bacteria.
B. Ergosterol biosynthesis (14-α-demethylase/CYP51) ✅
• Depletes ergosterol, disrupts membranes.
C. β-1,3-glucan synthase
• Echinocandins.
D. Peptidoglycan
• Bacteria.
Q23. Echinocandins (caspofungin) are most accurate described as:
A. Inhibitors of β-1,3-glucan synthase (cell wall synthesis) ✅
• Fungicidal vs Candida, fungistatic vs Aspergillus.
B. Ergosterol binders
• Polyenes.
C. DNA synthesis blockers
• Not primary.
D. Protein synthesis inhibitors
• Not target.
Q24. Aflatoxin B1, a potent hepatocarcinogen, is produced by:
A. Penicillium chrysogenum
• Penicillin producer.
B. Aspergillus flavus/parasiticus on stored grains/nuts ✅
• Causes liver cancer risk.
C. Claviceps purpurea
• Ergot alkaloids (vasoactive).
D. Fusarium verticillioides
• Fumonisins, not aflatoxin.
Q25. Dermatophytes (tinea/ringworm) are most commonly:
A. Trichophyton, Microsporum, Epidermophyton ✅
• Infect keratinized tissues (skin, hair, nails).
B. Candida species only
• Yeast; causes candidiasis, not classic tinea.
C. Cryptococcus species
• Systemic yeast.
D. Aspergillus species
• Mold; different diseases.
Part 2 — Mycology MCQs (Q26–Q50)
Q26. The phylum Chytridiomycota is unique because:
A. Lacks cell wall
• Wrong.
B. Produces motile zoospores with flagella ✅
• Only true fungi with flagellated spores.
C. Always unicellular
• Some are multicellular.
D. Forms basidia
• That’s basidiomycetes.
Q27. Zygomycota (Mucorales) typically have:
A. Aseptate (coenocytic) hyphae ✅
• No septa in vegetative hyphae.
B. Septate hyphae
• Ascomycetes.
C. Clamp connections
• Basidiomycetes.
D. Flagellated spores
• Chytrids.
Q28. Ascomycota are also called:
A. Club fungi
• Basidiomycetes.
B. Sac fungi (ascospores in asci) ✅
• Includes yeasts, molds, truffles.
C. Bread molds
• Zygomycetes.
D. Water molds
• Oomycetes.
Q29. Basidiomycota are characterized by:
A. Asci
• Ascomycetes.
B. Basidia (club-shaped cells) producing basidiospores ✅
• Mushrooms, rusts, smuts.
C. Zygospores
• Zygomycetes.
D. Zoospores
• Chytrids.
Q30. The main fungus used in bread and alcohol fermentation is:
A. Candida albicans
• Pathogen.
B. Saccharomyces cerevisiae ✅
• Baker’s/brewer’s yeast.
C. Aspergillus fumigatus
• Pathogen.
D. Rhizopus stolonifer
• Bread mold, not primary fermenter.
Q31. Penicillin was discovered from:
A. Saccharomyces
• Yeast, not penicillin.
B. Penicillium notatum (now P. chrysogenum) ✅
• Produces β-lactam antibiotic.
C. Aspergillus
• Used in fermentation, not penicillin.
D. Candida
• Pathogen.
Q32. Cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant drug, is derived from:
A. Candida
• No drug production.
B. Tolypocladium inflatum (fungus) ✅
• Revolutionized organ transplantation.
C. Aspergillus flavus
• Produces aflatoxins.
D. Penicillium
• Antibiotics.
Q33. Statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) were first isolated from:
A. Bacteria
• No.
B. Aspergillus & Penicillium species ✅
• Lovastatin, mevastatin from fungi.
C. Candida
• No.
D. Zygomycetes
• No.
Q34. Fungal enzymes used in food industry include:
A. Amylases, cellulases, pectinases ✅
• From Aspergillus, Trichoderma.
B. DNA polymerase
• From thermophilic bacteria.
C. Lipase inhibitors
• Not industrial enzymes.
D. Collagenase
• Not main fungal enzyme.
Q35. Ergot alkaloids come from:
A. Aspergillus
• Aflatoxins, not ergot.
B. Claviceps purpurea (rye ergot fungus) ✅
• Causes ergotism (“St. Anthony’s fire”).
C. Fusarium
• Fumonisins.
D. Candida
• Not toxins.
Q36. Fusarium species produce:
A. Aflatoxins
• Aspergillus.
B. Trichothecenes, fumonisins (mycotoxins) ✅
• Cause food contamination, esophageal cancer.
C. Ergot alkaloids
• Claviceps.
D. Penicillin
• Penicillium.
Q37. Candida albicans infections are controlled mainly by:
A. Cell-mediated immunity (T-cells, Th17) ✅
• Critical for mucocutaneous defense.
B. B-cell antibodies only
• Helpful, but less critical.
C. Platelets
• Not immune.
D. NK cells only
• Limited.
Q38. The most common cause of fungal meningitis in HIV/AIDS is:
A. Candida
• Usually mucosal.
B. Aspergillus
• Sinus/lung disease.
C. Cryptococcus neoformans ✅
• Encapsulated yeast; India ink positive.
D. Histoplasma
• Causes systemic, not classic meningitis.
Q39. Histoplasma capsulatum infection is acquired by:
A. Person-to-person contact
• Not transmitted this way.
B. Inhaling spores from soil enriched with bird/bat droppings ✅
• Endemic in Ohio & Mississippi valleys.
C. Ingestion of spores
• Not main route.
D. Mosquito bite
• Not vector-borne.
Q40. Blastomyces dermatitidis causes:
A. Oral thrush
• Candida.
B. Pulmonary and systemic blastomycosis ✅
• Dimorphic fungus, broad-based budding yeast.
C. Meningitis
• Cryptococcus.
D. Aspergillosis
• Aspergillus.
Q41. Coccidioides immitis disease is also called:
A. Histoplasmosis
• Different.
B. Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) ✅
• Endemic to southwestern USA deserts.
C. Ringworm
• Dermatophytes.
D. Thrush
• Candida.
Q42. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is endemic in:
A. Africa
• No.
B. South America (Brazil, Latin America) ✅
• Causes paracoccidioidomycosis.
C. Asia
• Not endemic.
D. Europe
• Not endemic.
Q43. Pneumocystis jirovecii causes pneumonia in:
A. Immunocompetent people only
• Usually mild.
B. Immunocompromised patients (HIV/AIDS, transplant) ✅
• Opportunistic pathogen, alveolar infiltrates.
C. Healthy children only
• Not true.
D. Animals only
• Also in humans.
Q44. Sporothrix schenckii infection is also called:
A. Ringworm
• Dermatophytes.
B. Rose gardener’s disease (sporotrichosis) ✅
• Subcutaneous nodules along lymphatics.
C. White piedra
• Trichosporon.
D. Mucormycosis
• Different group.
Q45. Mucormycosis (zygomycosis) is typically seen in:
A. Healthy people
• Rare.
B. Uncontrolled diabetics, immunosuppressed, COVID patients ✅
• Rapidly invasive, black necrotic tissue.
C. Athletes
• Not typical.
D. Children only
• Not exclusive.
Q46. Dermatophyte infections are best diagnosed by:
A. Blood culture
• Not effective.
B. KOH mount of skin scrapings + culture ✅
• Reveals septate hyphae.
C. PCR only
• Advanced, but not routine.
D. CT scan
• Not for fungi.
Q47. Calcofluor white stain detects fungi by:
A. DNA binding
• Not main.
B. Binding chitin & fluorescing under UV ✅
• Rapid detection of fungal elements.
C. Binding proteins
• Not specific.
D. Melanin staining
• Not Calcofluor.
Q48. Amphotericin B toxicity is mainly:
A. Liver failure
• Azoles more hepatotoxic.
B. Nephrotoxicity (renal damage) ✅
• Major dose-limiting effect.
C. Bone marrow suppression
• Flucytosine.
D. CNS depression
• Not typical.
Q49. Griseofulvin is effective against:
A. Candida
• Not main.
B. Aspergillus
• Not drug of choice.
C. Dermatophytes (ringworm infections) ✅
• Interferes with microtubules, keratin deposition.
D. Cryptococcus
• Not treated with griseofulvin.
Q50. Flucytosine (5-FC) works by:
A. Inhibiting ergosterol
• Azoles do.
B. Converting to 5-fluorouracil → inhibits DNA/RNA synthesis ✅
• Used with amphotericin B for cryptococcosis.
C. Inhibiting cell wall glucans
• Echinocandins.
D. Binding microtubules
• Griseofulvin.
Part 3 — Mycology MCQs (Q51–Q75)
Q51. The red bread mold used as a genetic model organism is:
A. Aspergillus fumigatus
• Pathogen, not classic model.
B. Neurospora crassa ✅
• Used by Beadle & Tatum (“one gene–one enzyme” hypothesis).
C. Candida albicans
• Pathogen.
D. Penicillium notatum
• Antibiotic producer.
Q52. Which yeast is the most widely used model for eukaryotic cell biology?
A. Candida glabrata
• Opportunistic yeast.
B. Saccharomyces cerevisiae ✅
• Key for genetics, molecular biology, fermentation.
C. Cryptococcus neoformans
• Pathogen.
D. Schizosaccharomyces pombe
• Model, but less common than S. cerevisiae.
Q53. Schizosaccharomyces pombe differs from S. cerevisiae by:
A. Budding reproduction
• S. cerevisiae buds.
B. Reproducing by fission (fission yeast) ✅
• Used for studying cell cycle checkpoints.
C. Lacking a nucleus
• All fungi are eukaryotic.
D. Being prokaryotic
• False.
Q54. Heterokaryosis in fungi means:
A. Homologous recombination
• Genetic exchange.
B. Presence of genetically different nuclei in the same mycelium ✅
• Important for variation in fungi.
C. Polyploidy
• Extra sets of chromosomes, not heterokaryosis.
D. Spore germination
• Different.
Q55. Parasexual cycle in fungi involves:
A. Meiosis always
• Not always present.
B. Genetic recombination without meiosis or sexual reproduction ✅
• Fusion of hyphae, karyogamy, mitotic recombination.
C. Binary fission
• Prokaryotes.
D. Sporulation only
• Not parasexuality.
Q56. The famous “beard of bread mold” is caused by:
A. Penicillium
• Produces green mold.
B. Rhizopus stolonifer ✅
• Classic black bread mold.
C. Aspergillus
• Different morphology.
D. Candida
• Yeast, not mold.
Q57. Rust fungi (Puccinia spp.) infect mainly:
A. Fruits
• Usually not.
B. Cereal crops (wheat, barley, etc.) ✅
• Wheat rust is a major global plant disease.
C. Potato
• Late blight caused by Phytophthora (oomycete).
D. Grapes
• Powdery mildew.
Q58. Smut fungi (Ustilago spp.) are notorious for:
A. Infecting humans
• Rare.
B. Infecting maize & cereals, producing sooty galls ✅
• Corn smut = Ustilago maydis.
C. Infecting animals
• No.
D. Producing penicillin
• Not true.
Q59. Claviceps purpurea infects rye and produces:
A. Fusarium toxins
• Different fungus.
B. Ergot alkaloids (ergotism, hallucinations, vasoconstriction) ✅
• Precursor of LSD.
C. Aflatoxin
• Aspergillus.
D. Ochratoxin
• Aspergillus/Penicillium.
Q60. Late blight of potato (caused Irish famine) is due to:
A. Phytophthora infestans ✅
• Oomycete (fungus-like, not true fungus).
B. Rhizopus
• Bread mold.
C. Candida
• Human pathogen.
D. Aspergillus
• Not potato pathogen.
Q61. White rust of crucifers is caused by:
A. Rust fungi (Puccinia)
• Affect cereals.
B. Albugo candida (oomycete) ✅
• Causes white pustules on leaves.
C. Aspergillus
• Not plant rust.
D. Cladosporium
• Causes leaf spots.
Q62. Powdery mildew of grapes is caused by:
A. Fusarium
• Root rot.
B. Uncinula necator (Erysiphales) ✅
• White powdery coating.
C. Puccinia
• Rusts.
D. Rhizopus
• Bread mold.
Q63. Downy mildew of grapes is caused by:
A. Plasmopara viticola (oomycete) ✅
• Notorious vineyard disease.
B. Aspergillus flavus
• Mycotoxins, not mildew.
C. Ustilago
• Smut fungus.
D. Saccharomyces
• Fermenter, not pathogen.
Q64. Rice blast disease is caused by:
A. Bacteria
• Wrong.
B. Magnaporthe oryzae (fungus) ✅
• Major crop destroyer globally.
C. Virus
• Not rice blast.
D. Oomycete
• Not this one.
Q65. Nematode-trapping fungi catch nematodes by:
A. Producing toxins only
• Not main mechanism.
B. Specialized hyphal traps & adhesive nets ✅
• Predatory adaptation in soil.
C. Encysting
• Not fungal.
D. Using flagella
• Not true fungi.
Q66. Which fungi are endophytes?
A. Only pathogens
• Endophytes can be mutualists.
B. Fungi living inside plant tissues without causing disease ✅
• Provide stress tolerance, secondary metabolites.
C. Only lichens
• Symbiosis with algae.
D. Only mushrooms
• Not endophytes.
Q67. Fungal secondary metabolites are defined as:
A. Proteins for primary metabolism
• That’s primary metabolites.
B. Non-essential metabolites with ecological roles (toxins, antibiotics, pigments) ✅
• E.g., penicillin, aflatoxin.
C. Structural polysaccharides
• Primary.
D. Enzymes for glycolysis
• Primary.
Q68. Aflatoxin is dangerous because it:
A. Causes lung cancer
• Not main.
B. Is a potent hepatocarcinogen (liver cancer risk) ✅
• From Aspergillus flavus/parasiticus.
C. Weak allergen only
• Much more serious.
D. Harmless pigment
• False.
Q69. Ochratoxin is produced by:
A. Candida
• Not true.
B. Aspergillus & Penicillium species ✅
• Contaminates coffee, cereals, kidney toxin.
C. Fusarium
• Produces fumonisins.
D. Claviceps
• Ergot alkaloids.
Q70. Fumonisins are associated with:
A. Aspergillus
• Produces aflatoxins.
B. Fusarium species (contaminating maize) ✅
• Cause esophageal cancer, neural tube defects.
C. Candida
• Not toxin.
D. Rhizopus
• Not toxin.
Q71. Patulin is produced by:
A. Candida
• Not true.
B. Penicillium expansum (blue mold on apples) ✅
• Carcinogenic mycotoxin.
C. Aspergillus
• Aflatoxin.
D. Fusarium
• Trichothecenes.
Q72. Trichothecenes (T-2 toxin) are:
A. Produced by Candida
• No.
B. Protein synthesis inhibitors from Fusarium species ✅
• Cause alimentary toxic aleukia (ATA).
C. Produced by Rhizopus
• Not true.
D. Beneficial metabolites
• They’re toxic.
Q73. Gibberellins (plant hormones) were first discovered in:
A. Aspergillus
• No.
B. Gibberella fujikuroi (Fusarium) ✅
• Caused “foolish seedling” disease of rice.
C. Candida
• Pathogen, not plant fungus.
D. Neurospora
• Model, not hormone.
Q74. Yeast two-hybrid system uses fungi to:
A. Grow beer
• Different use.
B. Study protein–protein interactions using Saccharomyces cerevisiae ✅
• Powerful molecular biology tool.
C. Produce antibiotics
• Not main.
D. Ferment dairy
• Industrial, not Y2H.
Q75. CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing has been applied successfully in:
A. Bacteria only
• No.
B. Yeasts and filamentous fungi as eukaryotic model systems ✅
• Used in metabolic engineering, genetics.
C. Viruses
• Used for editing them, but fungi are models.
D. Plants only
• Also fungi.
Part 4 — Mycology MCQs (Q76–Q100)
Q76. The most common cause of oral thrush is:
A. Aspergillus
• More respiratory disease.
B. Candida albicans ✅
• Opportunistic yeast infection, esp. in infants/immunocompromised.
C. Cryptococcus
• CNS infections.
D. Trichophyton
• Dermatophyte (skin, not mouth).
Q77. Vaginal candidiasis is favored by:
A. Low estrogen levels
• Not main.
B. Antibiotic use, diabetes, pregnancy, immunosuppression ✅
• Disturbs vaginal flora → Candida overgrowth.
C. High protein diet
• Not causal.
D. Fasting
• Not relevant.
Q78. The fungus with a large capsule visible in India ink prep is:
A. Aspergillus
• No capsule.
B. Cryptococcus neoformans ✅
• Prominent polysaccharide capsule, causes meningitis.
C. Candida
• No capsule.
D. Rhizopus
• No capsule.
Q79. Aspergillosis typically presents as:
A. Oral ulcers only
• Not typical.
B. Allergic bronchopulmonary disease, aspergilloma, invasive lung infection ✅
• Especially in immunocompromised.
C. Skin infection only
• Not common.
D. CNS disease only
• Rare.
Q80. Farmer’s lung hypersensitivity is due to:
A. Bacteria
• Not correct.
B. Fungal spores (e.g., Aspergillus, Thermophilic actinomycetes) ✅
• Type III hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
C. Viral antigens
• No.
D. Dust mites
• Different allergy.
Q81. The “black mold” associated with sick building syndrome is:
A. Candida
• Not airborne.
B. Stachybotrys chartarum ✅
• Produces mycotoxins in damp environments.
C. Rhizopus
• Bread mold.
D. Cladosporium
• Common, less toxic.
Q82. Onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) is commonly caused by:
A. Candida only
• Sometimes, but not main.
B. Dermatophytes (esp. Trichophyton rubrum) ✅
• Invades nail keratin.
C. Aspergillus only
• Rarely.
D. Cryptococcus
• Not nail pathogen.
Q83. Tinea versicolor (hypo/hyperpigmented skin patches) is due to:
A. Candida
• Not typical.
B. Malassezia furfur (lipophilic yeast) ✅
• Part of normal flora, causes superficial infection.
C. Aspergillus
• Not skin.
D. Trichophyton
• Dermatophyte, different lesions.
Q84. Mucormycosis (black fungus) gained attention during COVID-19 mainly in:
A. Healthy athletes
• Not typical.
B. Diabetic, steroid-treated, immunosuppressed patients ✅
• Aggressive angioinvasive infection.
C. Children only
• Not restricted.
D. Only rural areas
• Affects both.
Q85. Fungal meningitis outbreaks have been associated with:
A. Contaminated water
• Rarely.
B. Contaminated steroid injections (Exserohilum, other molds) ✅
• Reported outbreak in US (2012).
C. Air pollution
• Not direct cause.
D. Pollen
• Not fungi.
Q86. Echinocandins are especially effective against:
A. Cryptococcus
• Not primary.
B. Candida (including resistant strains) ✅
• Inhibit β-glucan synthase.
C. Mucorales
• Not effective.
D. Dermatophytes
• Not standard.
Q87. Azole resistance in Candida is often due to:
A. Capsule thickening
• Cryptococcus trait.
B. Efflux pumps and mutations in ergosterol pathway (ERG11) ✅
• Cause reduced drug susceptibility.
C. Thick cell wall
• Not main.
D. More mitochondria
• Not relevant.
Q88. Amphotericin B resistance may occur if fungi:
A. Make more ergosterol
• Would increase binding.
B. Alter ergosterol composition or reduce ergosterol content ✅
• Reduces drug binding.
C. Increase capsule size
• Not mechanism.
D. Increase chitin
• Not main.
Q89. Biofilms make fungi more resistant to drugs because:
A. Drugs can’t reach cells easily ✅
• Dense extracellular matrix and altered physiology confer protection.
B. They grow faster
• Often slower.
C. They lack membranes
• Not true.
D. They lose ergosterol
• Not always.
Q90. Fungi as decomposers play a key role in:
A. Oxygen production
• Mainly plants/algae.
B. Recycling nutrients by decomposing organic matter ✅
• Critical ecological role.
C. Nitrogen fixation
• Bacteria.
D. Greenhouse gas reduction
• Some fungi release CO₂.
Q91. Endophytic fungi benefit plants by:
A. Parasitism always
• Not always.
B. Enhancing stress tolerance, deterring herbivores, producing alkaloids ✅
• Mutualistic role.
C. Storing starch
• Not main.
D. Fixing nitrogen
• Bacteria do this.
Q92. Mycorrhizal fungi are crucial for:
A. Viruses
• Not involved.
B. Plant nutrient uptake (phosphorus, water) ✅
• Symbiotic association with roots.
C. Producing antibiotics
• Not their role.
D. Causing cancer
• Not true.
Q93. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM fungi) belong to phylum:
A. Basidiomycota
• Not true.
B. Glomeromycota ✅
• Form arbuscules inside plant root cells.
C. Ascomycota
• Lichens often.
D. Chytridiomycota
• Flagellated fungi.
Q94. Ectomycorrhizae are typically found in:
A. Cereal crops
• AM fungi dominate.
B. Trees (pine, oak, birch) with fungal sheaths around roots ✅
• Basidiomycetes/ascomycetes.
C. Grasses only
• Rare.
D. Aquatic plants
• Not main.
Q95. Fungal spores are important in:
A. Disease transmission only
• They also spread fungi ecologically.
B. Reproduction, dispersal, survival in harsh conditions ✅
• Both asexual & sexual spores.
C. Only fermentation
• Not main.
D. Nitrogen fixation
• Not fungal.
Q96. Fungal biodiversity is estimated at:
A. 100,000 species total
• Already described.
B. 2–5 million species (only ~150,000 described) ✅
• Vast undiscovered diversity.
C. 1,000 species
• Too few.
D. 50 million species
• Overestimate.
Q97. Pathogenic fungi differ from bacteria by:
A. Having peptidoglycan
• False.
B. Being eukaryotic, slow-growing, resistant to antibiotics ✅
• Antifungals target ergosterol/cell wall.
C. Reproducing by binary fission only
• Yeasts bud.
D. Having plasmids only
• Not main.
Q98. Immunity to fungi mainly depends on:
A. Antibodies
• Helpful, but not primary.
B. Innate immunity (neutrophils, macrophages, T-cells) ✅
• Key for antifungal defense.
C. Red blood cells
• No.
D. Complement only
• Helps, but not main.
Q99. Opportunistic mycoses occur primarily in:
A. Healthy adults
• Rare.
B. Immunocompromised (HIV/AIDS, cancer therapy, transplant) ✅
• Candida, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus common.
C. Only infants
• Not exclusive.
D. Only elderly
• Broader risk group.
Q100. Fungi are increasingly important in medicine because:
A. Only cause disease
• They also help.
B. Both as pathogens and as sources of antibiotics, immunosuppressants, enzymes ✅
• Dual role in human health.
C. Only spoil food
• Not only.
D. Only decomposers
• Too narrow.
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