Lowenstein Jensen medium is recommended for the isolation and cultivation of Mycobacterium species. It was originally formulated by Lowenstein, which included dyes such as congo red and malachite green. Jensen altered Lowenstein’s medium by changing…
This test is used to distinguish acid-fast bacteria based on their appearance after staining with acid-fast stain containing 20% sulphuric acid (Ziehl-Neelsen stain) as a decolorizer. Principle of Ziehl-Neelsen stain Because of the high lipid…
There are a number of structures that resemble parasites but are not in fact parasites. These structures, known as artifacts and confusers, are mostly found in stool and blood samples. These stool artifacts and confusers…
Wuchereria bancrofti is also known as Bancroft’s filarial, and the diseases and conditions associated with it are known as Bancroft’s filariasis or elephantiasis. Wuchereria bancrofti is thought to have originated in the second millennium BC….
Although human coronaviruses (CoV) have been recognized as human pathogens since the 1960s, their virus family gained notoriety in 2002 and 2003 with the first outbreak of the SARS coronavirus epidemic and the recent emergence…
Lactophenol cotton blue stain is used to identify fungi grown on culture from any clinical material. Principle of Lactophenol cotton blue stain The stain is used to stain fungus grown on ‘slide culture technique’ or…
The purpose of Gram staining is to demonstrate the presence of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria in clinical specimens using morphology and Gram staining. This test is useful for determining the presence of potentially…
Viral diseases are diagnosed by demonstrating virus in appropriate clinical specimens via culture. The isolation of a virus is always regarded as the gold standard for determining the viral etiology of a disease. The collection…
Dermatophytes are a distinct group of fungi that infect human and animal hair, skin, and nails, causing a variety of cutaneous infections known as ringworm. Dermatophytes such as Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermatophyton cause the majority…
The clinical laboratory has access to a variety of enrichment and selective media for the isolation and identification of pathogenic fungi. The majority of the media mentioned in this article are commercially available in dehydrated…
