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What is the name of a dimorphic fungus found in soil infested with bird or bat droppings?

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User Corroded
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Histoplasma capsulatum is the dimorphic fungus found in soil with bird or bat droppings that can cause histoplasmosis, a respiratory infection, when inhaled.

Step-by-step explanation:

The dimorphic fungus found in soil infested with bird or bat droppings is called Histoplasma capsulatum.

This fungus can change form to adapt to different temperatures: in the soil, it grows as a mycelium, but when it is inhaled and inside the human body, it metamorphoses into a yeast form at body temperature, resulting in the respiratory infection known as histoplasmosis.

It is important to note that though there are other fungi associated with bats and birds, like Cryptococcus neoformans causing cryptococcosis and the cold-loving fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome in bats,

Pseudogymnoascus destructans (also known as Geomyces destructans), Histoplasma capsulatum is specifically associated with bird and bat droppings and the resulting lung disease.

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User Nico Schertler
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