Question

A slow-growing cherry-red colored mold with numerous microconidia and no macroconidia was isolated from a sample of skin scrapings. What two things would you do to identify this organism

Answer 1

Answer:

1. Growth on cornmeal agar

2. KOH prep

Explanation:

Cornmeal agar is a nutritional deficient media containing :

• Corn meal 8g / zein 40 g / 100ml
• Agar 4g

• Distilled water 200 ml
• Large , highly refractory, thick walled.

KOH preparation (10 - 30% ) used to destroy keratin, leaves fungal hyphae.

• Can add a chitin-specific stain
• Calcofluor white fluorescent stain increases sensitivity

Hence the organism can easily be identified by these two tests.