Available Services

• Clinical services
• List of reference services
• List of referred tests (charged)
• Laboratory turn-around times (from receipt of sample)
• External Quality Assurance 
• National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF)
   

Clinical Services

We provide advice by telephone to ensure selection of the most appropriate test or specimen types for particular patients and assist with the interpretation of results

We can also provide guidance on the clinical management of individual cases
.
 

Reference Services

For details of what format to send samples in and what information to send with your sample, please see how to make best use of our services.

• Identification
  
  Moulds (including dermatophytes)
  Unusual yeasts
  Dimorphic fungal pathogens

• Reference antifungal drug susceptibility testing of Yeasts and Moulds
  
  These tests are carried out as confirmatory tests for isolates producing equivocal or unexpected results.

• Serological tests
  
  Serology of non-indigenous mycoses: 
  
  Histoplasmosis
  Coccidioidomycosis
  Blastomycosis
  Paracoccidioidomycosis
   
• Histological examination of referred slides   

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Referred Tests (charged)

For details of what format to send samples in and what information to send with your sample, please see how to make best use of our services.

Identification of yeast and mould isolates

We currently perform Pyrosequencinlog® for the identification of yeast isolates
 

Antifungal drug susceptibility testing of yeasts:

The following drug susceptibility testing may be requested:

• anidulafungin
• amphotericin
• caspofungin
• clotrimazole
• econazole
• fluconazole
• flucytosine
• itraconazole
• ketoconazole
• micafungin
• miconazole
• nystatin
• posaconazole
• voriconazole
   

Antifungal drug susceptibility testing of moulds

• amphotericin
• caspofungin
• clotrimazole
• griseofulvin
• itraconazole
• posaconazole
• terbinafine
• voriconazole

Antifungal drug assays

• amphotericin
• fluconazole
• flucytosine
• itraconazole
• posaconazole
• voriconazole
   

Please contact us prior to sending samples for amphotericin or fluconazole assays.

Serological tests

• Tests for antibodies to Aspergillus, Candida, farmer's lung and avian allergens
• Tests for Aspergillus, Candida and Cryptococcus antigens
• Beta 1-3 Glucan antigen detection for invasive fungal infections.
  (NB this test has a very high negative predictive value)

Microscopy and culture of clinical specimens

Environmental Sampling (please contact us for details).

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 Laboratory Turn-around Times (from receipt of sample)

All reports are sent by first class mail. Urgent results can be telephoned to laboratories on request provided we have an appropriate contact name and current telephone number.

Test Type	TAT (days)
	Min	Mean
Aspergillus antibodies	2	3.1
Aspergillus antigen (galactomannan)	1	1.2
Avian antibodies	5	6.9
Beta 1-3 Glucan	1	3
Candida antibodies	2	3.5
Candida antigen (mannan)	1	1.5
Cryptococcus antigen	1	1
Dimorphic serology	3	6
Farmers Lung antibodies	5	6.7
Flucytosine assay	1	1.2
Itraconazoloe assay	3	3.1
Mould antifungal susceptibilities	5	9.6
Mould identification	1	5
PCR (Diagnostic)	3	5
Posaconazole assay	2	2.6
Voriconazole assay	1	1
Yeast antifungal susceptibilities	2	5.5
Yeast identification	2	5

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 External Quality Assurance

The MRL collaborates with the Quality Assurance Laboratory in organising the UK National External Quality Assurance Schemes (NEQAS) in mycology. The laboratory itself participates in three UK NEQAS schemes; two for antibiotic assays (flucytosine & azole drugs) and the other for autoimmune serology and special immunochemistry (Aspergillus, Candida, avian allergens and farmer’s lung antibody tests). The MRL also takes part in external schemes for the validation of Beta Glucan and Aspergillus antigen detection.

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National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF)

www.hpacultures.org.uk/ncpf

The MRL is part of the Biological Resource Centre of the HPA.(HPACC) It houses the only UK microbial culture collection specialising in fungi pathogenic to humans and animals. At present the collection holds about 2,500 strains, many of which are available for distribution. These include:

• Approximately 500 strains of dermatophytes and related organisms from the UK and abroad from human and animal infections including many original type strains.
• Approximately 900 mould strains from sub-cutaneous and deep-seated human and animal infection.
• Approximately 900 pathogenic yeast strains.
• More than 250 strains of dimorphic fungal pathogens.

Fungal Isolates

NCPF strains are supplied for research, quality control of microbiological media, disinfectants and antifungal susceptibility tests. Current prices and conditions of sale are available on request.

DNA Services

As part of an ongoing modernisation of the collection, genomic DNA is being extracted for all of the fungal cultures in the collection. These can be made available.

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Last reviewed: 11 January 2012