Free Mycology MCQs with Answers

• A. Cryptococcosis
• B. Tuberculosis
• C. Candidiasis
• D. Aspergilosis

Explanation: Candidiasis, especially oral thrush, is among the commonest opportunistic infections in AIDS because impaired cell-mediated immunity…

• A. exotoxin production
• B. lecithinase production
• C. hypersensitivity
• D. Coagulase production

Explanation: Many fungi cause disease through tissue invasion or hypersensitivity reactions, and hypersensitivity is the best choice among the listed…

• A. Penicillium
• B. Aspergillus
• C. Mucor
• D. Rhizopus

Explanation: Aspergillus commonly forms an aspergilloma, or fungal ball, within a pre-existing cavity such as an old tuberculosis cavity.

• A. Tellurite medium
• B. NNN medium
• C. Chocolate agar medium
• D. Sabourauds medium

Explanation: Sabouraud’s dextrose agar is the standard culture medium for many fungi because its acidic pH and formulation favour fungal growth while…

• A. Brain - heart infusion
• B. Sabouraud's
• C. Sabouraud's plus antibiotics
• D. Any medium incubated at 35-37°C

Explanation: Sabouraud’s medium supplemented with antibiotics selectively supports fungi while suppressing bacterial contaminants.

• A. Subcutaneous tissue
• B. Systemic organs
• C. Nails, hair and skin
• D. Superficial skin and deep tissue

Explanation: Dermatophytes digest keratin and infect keratinised tissues, namely the skin, hair and nails.

• A. Methylene blue dextrose agar
• B. Saboraud's medium
• C. Pingolevin
• D. All of the aboveParasites & Parasitic Diseases

Explanation: Sabouraud's dextrose agar is the routine culture medium for Candida and many other fungi because its acidic environment favours fungal…

• A. Yeast like fungus
• B. Forms Chlamydospores
• C. Blastomeres seen in isolates
• D. Seen in immunocompromised and causes meningitis in them

Explanation: Candida albicans is a yeast-like fungus that forms chlamydospores and can cause invasive disease, including meningitis, in…

• A. Penicillium
• B. Mucor
• C. Aspergillus
• D. All of the above

Explanation: Penicillium, Mucor and Aspergillus can all cause opportunistic infections, particularly in patients with impaired immunity.

• A. Kerison
• B. Alopecia areata
• C. Pilomatrixoma
• D. Tenia incognito

Explanation: Kerion is the painful, boggy, indurated inflammatory form of tinea capitis, often complicated by secondary bacterial infection.

• A. Candida albicans
• B. Mucor
• C. Cryptococcus
• D. Aspergillus

Explanation: The Reynolds-Braude phenomenon is germ-tube formation by Candida albicans when incubated in serum, an important presumptive identification…

• A. Van Gieson's stain
• B. Periodic acid schiff stain
• C. Masson Trichrome stain
• D. Toluidine blue stain

Explanation: Periodic acid-Schiff stain highlights fungal cell-wall polysaccharides, so it stains Candida yeast cells and hyphae vividly.

• A. Noncapsulated fungus infecting man
• B. Causes meningitis
• C. Melanin production related to virulence
• D. Basidiomycetes yeast

Explanation: Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated basidiomycetous yeast that can cause meningitis, and its melanin production contributes to…

• A. India ink preparation
• B. Methanamine silver stain
• C. Ziehl-Neelsen stain
• D. Pyte-ferraco stain

Explanation: India ink provides a dark background against which the unstained capsule of Cryptococcus appears as a clear halo.

• A. Zygomycetes
• B. Ascomycetes
• C. Basidiomycetes
• D. Deuteromycetes

Explanation: In the traditional medical classification used in many exam texts, most medically important fungi were placed among the Deuteromycetes or…

• A. Histoplasmosis
• B. Rhinosporodiosis
• C. Phaeohypomycosis
• D. Chromoblastomycosis

Explanation: Chromoblastomycosis is identified histologically by brown, thick-walled, multi-septate sclerotic bodies, also called copper-penny bodies.

• A. Microscopic examination of skin scrapings
• B. KOH staining
• C. Wood light examination
• D. All of the aboveOrder DNA Kits

Explanation: Superficial fungal infections can be assessed by direct microscopy of skin scrapings, often after KOH treatment, and Wood light…

• A. Dermatophyte infection are exclusively man to animal
• B. Rhinosporidium causes deep infection in man
• C. albicans is not pathogenic to lab animals
• D. Candida infection is usually endogenous

Explanation: Candida infection is commonly endogenous because Candida may be part of the normal gastrointestinal or genital flora and causes disease…

• A. Grocott Gomori Methenamine silver
• B. Hematoxylin and Eosin
• C. KOH wet mount
• D. Peri-iodic Acid Schiff

Explanation: A KOH wet mount rapidly clears keratin and other tissue debris, leaving fungal hyphae and spores visible under the microscope.

• A. Endocarditis
• B. Mycetoma
• C. Meningitis
• D. Oral thrush

Explanation: Candida albicans can cause oral thrush, endocarditis, and occasionally meningitis, particularly in immunocompromised patients.