Additional Specimen Instructions

Optimal Specimen for Culture:

Pea-sized piece of tissue or comparable volume of fluid submitted in a sterile cup with an accompanying order for fungal culture only.

For tissue and fluid specimens you should "send the blob and not a swab"

Eswabs, although accepted, are NOT recommended for collecting specimens for funtal culture, except when used to swab the vagina for yeast. Other swab containers will be rejected.

Suspicion of infection with the systemic fungal pathogens (Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, or Sporothrix schenkii) or fastidious fungal species (Malassezia) should be indicated in the comments or on the requisition.

Genital, throat, stool, and mouth sources are held for one week and are cultured for yeast only.

 Cultures are held for 4 weeks.

Antifungal Susceptibility Testing:

Yeast susceptibility testing is performed in-house for fluconazole, capsofungin and voriconazole on pure isolates from sterile sources, or by request.

Filamentous fungus susceptibility testing is sent to reference laboratory by special request only.

Similar test orders:

Calcofluor stain (Lab 905)
Yeast Culture (LAB 241)
Fungus skin/hair/nail culture (LAB 3152)