Question

1. What is Medical Mycology?

a) Discuss and explain with reasons the mycological procedures that can be applied in the Regional and District Hospital laboratories.

b) Describe in detail all the processes from your choice of a specimen through the final findings of the causative fungal agent and result reporting to the clinician.

Answer 1

MEDICAL MYCOLOGY: IT REFERS TO THE STUDY OF FUNGI WHICH CAUSES DISEASES IN HUMAN BEINGS INCLUDING THEIR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT.

THE MYCOLOGICAL PROCEDURES THAT CAN BE APPLIED IN THE REGIONAL AND DISTRICT HOSPITAL LABORATORIES AND THE PROCESS OF THE SPECIMEN:

• SEROLOGY TESTS: TO DEMONSTRATE ANTIGEN OR ANTIBODY IN THE BLOOD OR SERUM OF THE SUSPECTED FUNGAL INFECTION.THE SPECIFIC IMMUNE RESPONSE CAN BE USED FOR DIAGNOSIS.AGGLUTINATION,COMPLEMENT FIXATION TEST,RADIO IMMUNOSORBENT ASSAY, LATERAL FLOW ASSAY ARE SOME OF THE SEROLOGICAL TESTS.THE MAIN ADVANTAGE IS IT IS QUICKER AND PROGNOSTIC MARKER
• MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS:SEQUENCING OF FUNGAL RIBOSOMAL TARGETS IS THE DIAGNOSTIC METHOD.
• DERMATOLOGY SAMPLING : SKIN SCRAPPINGS ARE COLLECTED AS SAMPLE FOR TESTING FUNGAL INFECTION BY USING BRIGHT-FIELD MICROSCOPY.

SAMPLE SELECTED : BLOOD

• THEY DEPEND ON THE PROTEINS MADE BY THE IMMUNE SYSTEM