Clinical mycology

Yeasts-Colorimetric Antifungal Susceptibility Testing: Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Yeasts-Colorimetric Antifungal Susceptibility Testing-Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

Introduction Yeasts, especially Candida and Cryptococcus species, are frequent causes of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. Determining their antifungal susceptibility is crucial for guiding effective therapy. While broth microdilution methods (CLSI/EUCAST) serve as reference standards, they are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Colorimetric antifungal susceptibility testing systems …

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Yeast Identification by Chromogenic Media: Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Yeast Identification by Chromogenic Media (HiMedia)

Introduction of Yeast Identification by Chromogenic Media (HiMedia) Opportunistic yeasts, especially Candida species, are frequent causes of infections ranging from superficial candidiasis to life-threatening systemic disease. Conventional identification based on culture and biochemical tests can be time-consuming and may not reliably distinguish closely related species. …

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Fungal Identification by PCR-Sequencing (Sanger): Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Pure culture of Candida

Introduction Accurate identification of fungi is critical for clinical, environmental, and epidemiological purposes. Traditional culture and morphology-based methods are time-consuming and may misidentify cryptic or closely related species. PCR amplification followed by Sanger sequencing of conserved genetic loci (e.g., ITS, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, β-tubulin, …

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Yeast Identification by MALDI-TOF (VITEK): Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Yeast Identification by MALDI-TOF (VITEK): Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

Introduction Yeasts, especially Candida species, are among the most important causes of opportunistic fungal infections in humans. Accurate and rapid identification is crucial for guiding antifungal therapy and improving patient outcomes. Traditional phenotypic methods are time-consuming and often misidentify cryptic species. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight …

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Candida auris PCR-Directly on Clinical Samples: Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Candida auris PCR-Directly on Clinical Samples: Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

Introduction Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant yeast responsible for outbreaks of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. It is difficult to identify by conventional culture and biochemical methods, often misidentified as other Candida species (C. haemulonii, C. famata). Rapid and accurate detection is essential to initiate infection …

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Fungal Blood Culture-Mold: Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Fungal Blood Culture Bottle showing fungal growth

Introduction Molds such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, Scedosporium, and members of the Mucorales are important causes of invasive fungal infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients (oncology, transplant, hematology, ICU). Unlike yeasts (Candida, Cryptococcus), which are more frequently recovered from blood cultures, molds are rarely detected in routine …

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Yeast Identification by Auxacolor System-Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Introduction The Auxacolor System is a commercially available biochemical-based yeast identification method widely used in clinical microbiology laboratories. It provides a simple, standardized approach to identifying medically important yeasts, including Candida, Cryptococcus, Trichosporon, and others. Unlike molecular tools or MALDI-TOF MS, Auxacolor is inexpensive, does …

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Mold Identification by MALDI-TOF (BRUKER)-Introduction, Principle, Clinical Significance, and Keynotes

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Introduction Accurate and timely identification of molds is essential for clinical microbiology, especially in cases of invasive fungal infections caused by Aspergillus, Fusarium, Scedosporium, Mucorales, and other filamentous fungi. Traditional methods based on morphology and phenotypic characteristics are slow, require expertise, and may misidentify cryptic …

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