A single method to stain Malassezia furfur and Corynebacterium minutissimum in scales

Abstract

The scales are collected by pressing small pieces of scotch tape (about 4 cm length and 2 cm width) onto the lesions and following withdrawal the furfuraceous scales will remain on the glue side. These pieces are then immersed for some minutes in lactophenol-cotton blue stain. Following absorption of the stain the scales are washed in current water to remove the excess of blue stain, dried with filter paper, dehydrated via passage in two bottles containing absolute alcohol and then placed in xylene in a centrifugation tube. The xylene dissolves the scotch tape glue and the scales fall free in the tube. After centrifugation and decantation the scales concentrated on the bottom of the tube are collected with a platinum-loop, placed in Canada balsam on a microscopy slide and closed with a cover slip. The preparations are then ready to be submitted to microscopic examination. Other stains may also be used instead of lactophenol-cotton blue. This method is simple, easily performed, and offers good conditions to study these fungi as well as being useful for the diagnosis of the diseases that they cause.

New Uses of Vinyl Tape for Reliable Collection and Diagnosis of Common Superficial Mycoses

“…Several staining procedures have been directly applied to vinyl adhesive tape mounts, all of them resulting in successful demonstration of Malassezia furfur 2 . This organism—as well as Corynebacterium minutissimum —has also been sampled from lesions using VAT strips, with staining performed after carrying out both glue remotion by xylene and centrifugation, thus resulting in high‐quality microscopic images 8 . In spite of the good results, both of these techniques require appropriate laboratory facilities, as well as time to be completed, therefore making them unsuitable for use in an office environment during a routine medical visit.…”

Prevalence of Malassezia species in patients with pityriasis versicolor in Rosario, Argentina

“…34 Specimens were examined by optic microscopy with Lactophenol Blue and by observation under fluorescence microscope with Calcofluor white. 36 All samples collected were inoculated on modified Dixon's Agar (mDA) medium and Sabouraud Glucose Agar (SGA) with 2-3 drops of sterile olive oil, for 10 days at 32 • C.…”