1993 Volume 34 Issue 2 Pages 171-176
A new culture method for identification of dermatophytes (multiple media flask culture method) was devised. Each clinical isolate was cultured on 5 small square pieces of different media in a plastic tissue culture flask. Sabouraud dextrose agar, Christensen's urea agar, 0.05% yeast extract agar with human hair, oatmeal agar and oatmeal with 1% dextrose agar medium were used. This method was useful for microscopic observation of fungi without the slide culture technique, for urease test, and for in vitro hair perforation test with solid medium.
At the outpatient dermatology clinic in the Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital, 488 lesions of tinea were cultured on Sabouraud cycloheximide chloramphenicol agar and isolates were identified with the present new culture method. The fungi were 396 isolates of dermatophytes, 11 isolates of contaminating molds and 7 isolates of yeasts. The dermatophytes identified were 231 isolates of Trichophyton rubrum, 156 isolates of T. mentagrophytes, 2 isolates of T. tonsurans, 3 isolates of Epidermophyton floccosum and 1 isolate of Microsporum canis. Only 3 isolates of dermatophytes could not be identified. The high rate of identification (99.2%) achieved may speak highly for this easy and reliable culture method to identify dermatophytes.
