SUMMARYResearch on Paracoccidioides brasiliensis has centered in the yeast
cell probably because of the lack of distinctive features in the mycelium. In 1942
and for the first time, lateral conidia were noticed in the fungus' hyphae. Later on,
Brazilian, Venezuelan and Argentinean researchers described "aleurias" when the
fungus was grown in natural substrates. In 1970 authors became interested in the
conidia and were able to obtain them in large numbers and treat them as individual
units. Their shape and size were defined and the presence of all the elements of a
competent eukaryotic cell were demonstrated. Conidia exhibited thermal dimorphism
and, additionally, when given intranasally to BALB/c male mice, they converted into
yeasts in the lungs and produce progressive pulmonary lesions with further
dissemination to other organs. Studies on the phagocyte-conidia interaction were
revealing and showed that these versatile structures allow a better understanding of
the host- P. brasiliensis interactions.