A fungistat is best described as

• A. Agent that kills fungi
• B. Agent that inhibits formation of hyphae and mycelial mass
• C. Agent that neutralizes bacteria
• D. Agent that increases fungal growth

Answer: (B)

A fungistat inhibits fungal growth rather than killing the fungi outright. Fungi expand by forming hyphae that bundle into a mycelial mass; an agent that prevents the development of these growth forms effectively slows or stops growth, which is what a fungistat does. In contrast, something that kills fungi is fungicidal, not fungistatic; something that neutralizes bacteria is not related to fungi, and something that increases fungal growth is the opposite of a fungistat. So the best description is an agent that inhibits the formation of hyphae and mycelial mass.