Fungal Specimens

Sample requirements

Collect skin scrapings, nail clippings or plucked hair into Dermapak

The edges of skin lesions yield the greatest quantities of viable fungus. Lesions should be scraped with a blunt scalpel blade.
Material should be taken from any discoloured, dystrophic or brittle parts of the nail. The affected nail should be cut as far back as possible through the entire thickness and should include any crumbly material.
When there is superficial involvement (as in white superficial onychomycosis) nail scrapings may be taken with a curette.
Samples from the scalp should include skin scales and plucked hairs or hair stumps. Cut hairs are not suitable for direct examination.