A young adult from a village in Odisha presents with a pink, lobulated, pedunculated mass arising from the nasal septum that has been slowly growing for 2 years. Biopsy shows thick-walled spherical sporangia filled with numerous endospores at various stages of maturation. The patient gives a history of bathing in ponds. What is the causative agent?
- A Fusarium solani
- B Mucor circinelloides
- C Rhinosporidium seeberi ✓
- D Cryptococcus neoformans
Correct answer: C. Rhinosporidium seeberi
Explanation
Rhinosporidiosis presents as a friable vascular polyp of the nose, nasopharynx or conjunctiva and is linked to stagnant water exposure. Rhinosporidium seeberi forms large sporangia up to several hundred micrometres containing thousands of endospores. It has never been reliably cultured and molecular studies place it among aquatic protistan parasites rather than true fungi, which makes it unique among examination favourites. Mucor produces aseptate hyphae, Fusarium septate hyphae and Cryptococcus encapsulated yeast, none of which form such sporangia.
Reference: Jagdish Chander, Textbook of Medical Mycology, 4th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.