TEMPORARY MOUNT

Question 1

What is the purpose of using 10-20% KOH in temporary mounts?

Answer 1

• It’s used to dissolve non-fungal materials, digest debris
• And make fungal structures more visible
• KOH acts as a clearing agent.

Question 2

What’s the recommended concentration of KOH for hair and skin specimens?

Answer 2

• For hair and skin, a 10% KOH concentration is recommended.

Question 3

How about the recommended concentration of KOH for nail specimens?

Answer 3

• For nail specimens, a 20% KOH concentration is recommended.

Question 4

Why is heating involved in this process?

Answer 4

• Heating is used to increase the rate of clearing when preparing temporary mounts with KOH.

Question 5

Is using KOH for sterile specimens is suitable?

Answer 5

• no, specimens collected from sterile sites do not need KOH because they are free of non-fungal material.

Question 6

What is the main goal of using KOH in temporary mounts?

Answer 6

• To enhance visibility of fungal structures by clearing non-fungal materials and debris.

Question 7

What is the recommended temperature range for incubating plates and tubes in fungal cultures?

Answer 7

• Plates and tubes should be incubated in ambient air at 25-30°C/30°C.

Question 8

Why is it important to not discard cultures for 4-6 weeks?

Answer 8

• Some fungi grow slowly
• So cultures should not be discarded for 4-6 weeks to allow for their growth.

Question 9

What role does cycloheximide play in fungal culture media?

Answer 9

• To prevent the rapid overgrowth of contaminants in at least one culture medium.

Question 10

How are fungi typically identified in culture?

Answer 10

• Fungi are identified based on colony morphology, including pigmentation, and microscopic observation
• Using techniques like tease-mount preparation or slide culture.