The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute has published “M54-APrinciples and Procedures for Detection of Fungi in Clinical Specimens-Direct Examination and Culture; Approved Guideline.” The document addresses the protocols for detecting fungi in clinical specimens and highlights direct microscopic examinations and fungal culturing methods.
“M54” includes photographs to help laboratory professionals interpret the direct examinations. The photographs guide readers in performance and interpretation of the direct examinations. The appendices are also useful and provide more in-depth information about fluorescence microscopy, histopathological stains for fungi, and the control of mites in fungal cultures.
This document is for laboratory scientists who process specimens for fungal culture or perform fungal direct microscopic examinations, or both. It tells readers how to do upfront processing steps often overlooked in other publications on mycology. The document does not tell readers how to identify the fungus but provides instruction on how to collect a good specimen, how to do a direct microscopic examination of the specimen, and how to inoculate the appropriate culture plates so that the fungus can be grown in culture for identification and antifungal susceptibility testing, if necessary.
CLSI, 610-688-0100