Fungal Culture Test

Explanation

A fungal culture test tries to grow fungi from a body sample so a laboratory can detect and identify a possible fungal infection.

How does a fungal culture work?

The sample is placed in material that helps fungi grow. If fungi grow, the laboratory can examine them to help identify the cause of an infection. This is different from a bacterial culture, which is designed to grow bacteria.

Which sample is tested?

The sample depends on where the infection is suspected. It may come from skin, a nail, blood, urine, another body fluid, or sputum, which is mucus coughed up from the lungs. The meaning of the result therefore depends on the sample site.

Why can the result take time?

Many fungi grow slowly. A final result may take days or weeks, even when the sample was collected quickly. In some cases, further testing is used to help choose an appropriate treatment.

What does the result mean?

Growth of a fungus can support a fungal cause, but the result is interpreted with symptoms, the sample site, and other tests. Similar symptoms can be caused by bacteria or other conditions, so a fungal culture and a bacterial culture are not interchangeable.

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