Question

Where do you pace the fungi scrapings once you've collected them?

Answer 1

After collecting fungi scrapings, place them on a selective agar plate like Sabouraud dextrose CC and incubate to promote growth. Inspect for isolated colonies after incubation to establish a pure culture. Perform microscopic examinations for presence of fungal structures, and use control methods to ensure validity of growth conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Once you have collected fungi scrapings, you should deposit them onto a selective agar surface, such as Sabouraud dextrose CC (chloramphenicol/cyclohexamide), which promotes the growth of dermatophytes while suppressing bacterial and saprophytic fungal colonies. After rubbing the swab or placing the scraped material on the agar, incubate the plates for a prescribed period to enable fungal growth and mycelium spreading.

Following incubation, inspect the agar plates for isolated colonies to establish a pure culture. When dealing with bracket fungi or similar, spore production can be stimulated as fungi utilize substrates such as leaves, flowers, or insect byproducts. To ensure the health and safety of laboratory personnel, it is crucial to adhere to aseptic techniques and take precautions when handling fungal cultures.

To confirm existence of fungi, microscopic examination may be necessary, looking for features like hyphae and spores after preparing a wet mount with potassium hydroxide solution. In the case of agriculture or symbiotic interactions such as those observed in ant-fungal mutualism, mycelium from the fungi is placed on a suitable substrate, where it receives nourishment and grows, eventually being harvested by the ants for food. Positive control methods, which include agar plates inoculated with a known fungicide, help verify that the medium and incubation conditions do not inhibit fungal growth.

Answer 2

Fungi scrapings collected from various sources are prepared on selective agar plates, incubated to allow growth, and then observed for fungal colony development and morphology. The identification of the fungi involves macroscopic analysis and can be further confirmed with microscopic techniques and staining. The samples can be stored for further analysis or examined under a microscope for detailed investigation of fungal structures.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you collect fungi scrapings, for example from skin, hair, or nails, they are typically prepared for microscopic examination and culture growth. Fungal cultures are grown on mediums such as Sabouraud dextrose agar, which is a selective medium designed to promote the growth of dermatophytes, a particular group of fungi, while suppressing bacterial and non-pathogenic fungal species. The process starts with rubbing a wet swab over the area of interest and then spreading it across a portion of the agar plate to innoculate it with the fungal scraping.

Once the samples are placed on the agar, they are incubated for a set duration to enable the fungi to grow and form colonies. Environmental controls such as temperature and humidity are crucial during this phase to ensure optimal growth conditions. During the incubation period, plates may also contain control disks impregnated with fungicides to assess their effect on fungal growth. After the incubation period, one observes the plated samples for changes indicative of fungal growth, such as mycelium expansion and spore formation.

In cases where fungi are detected, the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the colonies can help in the identification of the fungus genre. For a more detailed analysis, the prepared samples can be stored by transferring the plate with isolated colonies to a refrigerator for further tests, or observing the developed fungal structures under a microscope. For detailed examination, specific staining techniques using reagents like lactophenol cotton blue, which acutely highlight fungal structures, can be used.

Through methods like fragmentation and incubation, one can isolate and cultivate fungi for further analysis and identification. This process is crucial in various fields like medical diagnostics where it aids in the detection and treatment of fungal infections, in agriculture for studying plant-fungal interactions, and in environmental biology for understanding fungal biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics.