International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology
FUNGAL CULTURE
Dermatophytes, some molds, and Malassezia and Candida yeasts are the main etiologic agents for fungal infections of the skin, hair, and nail. The sensitivity of a fungal culture varies between 25% -85% and depends upon various factor: |
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The culture method is currently regarded as the gold standard for confirming a clinical diagnosis of a fungal infection; however, drawbacks include false-negative culture rates ranging from 15% to 50%.
Primary isolation of fungal species should be carried out on specific media: |
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Fungal cultures taken from the primary isolation media may be transferred to specified media for morphological and biochemical differentiation. For example, the media used to study conidia, non-reproductive structures, and certain biochemical properties are: |
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Aditya K. Gupta, MD, FRCP
London, ONT, Canada