Is Aspergillus a yeast or a mold?

Is Aspergillus a yeast or a mold?

• A. Yeast
• B. Mold
• C. Bacteria
• D. Virus

Answer: (B)

Aspergillus is a mold because it grows as a filamentous fungus with hyphae forming a mycelium and produces spores on specialized structures. Yeasts are single-celled fungi, like Candida, that reproduce by budding rather than forming a hyphal network. Bacteria are prokaryotic cells, not fungi, and viruses are noncellular infectious agents that require a host to replicate. In culture and clinical contexts, Aspergillus presents as a mold with hyphae and spore-bearing structures, distinguishing it from yeast forms.

Aspergillus is a mold because it grows as a filamentous fungus with hyphae forming a mycelium and produces spores on specialized structures. Yeasts are single-celled fungi, like Candida, that reproduce by budding rather than forming a hyphal network. Bacteria are prokaryotic cells, not fungi, and viruses are noncellular infectious agents that require a host to replicate. In culture and clinical contexts, Aspergillus presents as a mold with hyphae and spore-bearing structures, distinguishing it from yeast forms.