Gg

• Collection of hair samples

  Use sterile forceps to pull out infected hair, especially for infections involving the scalp and hair follicle
• Proper collection of specimens is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment
• Blood or bone marrow samples should be collected for patients showing systemic clinical manifestations like fever, chills, myalgia
• Specimen collection, handling, and transport

  1. Ensure biosafety cabinet BSC2 for mycology laboratories to reduce exposure to airborne pathogens

  2. Use an electric incinerator to prevent the creation of infectious particles from lamps, open flame burners, or infectious spores

  3. Process samples in screw-top agar slants instead of Petri dishes to minimize hazards

  4. Appropriate collection of specimens leads to accurate diagnosis and treatment

  5. Transport and process all specimens as soon as possible to maintain viability and prevent overgrowth of contaminants
• Respiratory samples should be collected for patients showing symptoms like coughing or difficulty breathing
• Common samples in mycology sessions

  • Respiratory samples
  • Tissue
  • Blood
  • Bone marrow
  • CSF
  • Hair
  • Skin
  • Nails
• Hair, skin, and nail samples are generally contaminated with bacteria due to exposure, so they should be isolated on media containing antimicrobials to inhibit bacterial growth and isolate fungal pathogens
• Before collecting skin scrapings, the site must be cleaned with 70% isopropyl alcohol to remove contaminants
• Wood Lamp, a UV light set at 365 nanometers, can help identify infected hair that is not easily visible
• Before collecting nail samples, the site must be cleaned with 70% alcohol
• Hair infections usually involve the scalp and the hair follicles
• For nail samples, a black card is used for transportation to provide contrast and prevent spillage of nail clippings
• Outer edge of the lesion is the correct site to collect skin samples as it avoids clusters of fungal cells and other materials
• Collecting skin scrapings

  Scraped from the outer edge of the lesion to avoid accumulation of overgrown cells, dead skin cells, and immune system cells
• Collecting hair samples

  Using sterile forceps to pull out the infected hair from the roots, the actual site of infection
• Collecting nail samples

  Submitted as scrapings or cuttings, surface nail infections are scraped off, and in severe cases, the entire nail may be submitted for testing
• Site preparation for cutting or scraping nails

  Clean the site first with 70% alcohol
• Blood may contain pathogenic organisms or be from immunocompromised or immunosuppressed patients
• Isolator tube principle

  Lysis and centrifugation system
• For Hair Skin and Nails, cleaning the site with 70% alcohol is necessary before cutting or scraping nails
• Bone marrow samples should be plated directly on the media at the bedside
• Concentrating CSF samples before testing increases the chances of detecting fungal cells
• Opportunistic pathogens may be present in blood and bone marrow samples
• CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid) concentration

  Concentrated by centrifugation before testing
• Safety check system

  Biphasic system using both broth and agar
• Latex agglutination


  One drop of the sediment can be used for latex agglutination
• Components in the blood sample can be destroyed by the isolator tube system
• Blood and bone marrow samples

  Discussion on blood and bone marrow samples
• Nail clippings transportation


  Transport from the collection site to the laboratory without losing or spilling any nail clippings
• Positive agents of systemic fungal infections are dimorphic
• Isolator tube is not recommended for blood samples
• Blood culture bottles are not recommended for detection of fungal pathogens
• India ink preparation

  One drop of the sediment can be used for India ink preparation
• For deep tissue fluid and cerebrospinal fluid, culture media with antimicrobials is not needed
• Tissue grinding may be necessary for tissue samples infected with fungal organisms
• Candida species look the same both microscopically and macroscopically, differentiation requires chromogenic candida agar
• The most common positive agent of fungal meningitis is Cryptococcus species
• Cerebrospinal fluid culture with antimicrobials is not necessary for aseptic CSF
• Respiratory samples should be collected in a sterile screw-top container
• Collecting samples for subcutaneous fungal infections

  Abscess fluid, wound exudates, tissue samples