Also Known As
KOH prep
Fungal smear
Mycology tests
Lactophenol cotton blue (LCB)
Formal Name
Potassium hydroxide preparation
Fungal culture,
Fungal antigen and antibody tests
Calcofluor white stain
This article was last reviewed on
This article waslast modified on 28 November 2019.
At a Glance
Why Get Tested?

To detect a fungal infection, to determine which specific fungus or fungi are present, and sometimes to isolate and grow the fungi for subsequent susceptibility testing

When To Get Tested?

When the doctor suspects that you have a skin, lung, or systemic fungal infection; sometimes after treatment to monitor its effectiveness

Sample Required?

The sample collected depends upon the suspected location(s) of the infection. For superficial infections, the sample may include scrapings of the skin, clipped or shaved nail or hair, vaginal swabs, or a urine sample. For deeper tissue, organ or systemic infections, the sample may involve the collection of blood from a vein, sputum from the lungs, and/or the collection of a tissue biopsy. If meningitis is suspected, a sample of cerebrospinal fluid may be collected.

Test Preparation Needed?

None

On average it takes 7 working days for the blood test results to come back from the hospital, depending on the exact tests requested. Some specialist test results may take longer, if samples have to be sent to a reference (specialist) laboratory. The X-ray & scan results may take longer. If you are registered to use the online services of your local practice, you may be able to access your results online. Your GP practice will be able to provide specific details.

If the doctor wants to see you about the result(s), you will be offered an appointment. If you are concerned about your test results, you will need to arrange an appointment with your doctor so that all relevant information including age, ethnicity, health history, signs and symptoms, laboratory and other procedures (radiology, endoscopy, etc.), can be considered.

Lab Tests Online-UK is an educational website designed to provide patients and carers with information on laboratory tests used in medical care. We are not a laboratory and are unable to comment on an individual's health and treatment.

Reference ranges are dependent on many factors, including patient age, sex, sample population, and test method, and numeric test results can have different meanings in different laboratories.

For these reasons, you will not find reference ranges for the majority of tests described on this web site. The lab report containing your test results should include the relevant reference range for your test(s). Please consult your doctor or the laboratory that performed the test(s) to obtain the reference range if you do not have the lab report.

For more information on reference ranges, please read Reference Ranges and What They Mean.

What is being tested?

Fungi are microorganisms that exist in nature as either yeast or moulds. There are more than 120,000 species of fungi in the environment, but only around 300 species are associated with human disease. Of these, only about 20 to 25 species are common causes of infection.

Fungal infections represent the invasion of tissues by one or more species of fungi and range from superficial skin infections to serious deep tissue, blood, lung or systemic diseases. Superficial fungal infections are very common. They may cause nail infections or itchy red scaly skin infections such as those commonly known as athlete’s foot, ringworm, yeast infections that cause white patches in the mouth (thrush) or vaginal itching and discharge. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 75% of women will have at least one yeast infection in their lifetime.

Less commonly, fungi may spread from their original location to penetrate to deeper tissues or may cause serious lung infections, blood infections (septicaemia), or systemic infections that can affect any organ in the body. While anyone can get a serious lung or systemic fungal infection, most affected people will only experience mild to moderate flu-like symptoms. However, people that are immunocompromised, such as those with HIV/AIDS, those who have had an organ transplant, and those with an underlying condition such as diabetes or lung disease are at an increased risk of having a severe fungal infection, a systemic infection, and/or recurrent infections.

Fungal tests are used to detect and identify fungi in order to diagnose infections and help guide their treatment. Fungal testing typically includes a microscopic examination of the sample on a slide, sometimes using a preparation or stain to aid in detection of fungal elements. This may be sufficient to determine that the infection is due to a fungus and, with superficial infections; no more tests may be required. However, in cases of persistent, deep, or systemic infections when a more definitive diagnosis is needed, it may be followed by additional tests such as culture and susceptibility testing, antigen, and/or antibody tests.

Accordion Title
Common Questions
  • How is it used?

    Fungal tests are used to help detect and diagnose a fungal infection, to help guide treatment, and/or sometimes to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. For many superficial skin and yeast infections, a clinical examination of the patient and microscopic examination of the sample may be sufficient to determine that a fungal infection is present. The specific organism is not always identified. The doctor has several topical and oral antifungal treatment options and will base their choice(s) on best practice guidelines and personal experience.

    Fungal cultures are used to identify the specific fungi present in persistent fungal infections and in those that penetrate into deeper tissues, affect the lungs, or cause systemic infections. Many fungi are slow-growing. The nutrient media used to recover them typically inhibits bacterial growth and must support fungal growth for several weeks. Susceptibility testing performed on fungi isolated from a culture is used to determine which antifungal is best to use for treatment.

    Blood tests for fungal antigens and antibodies may be used to determine if a patient has, or recently had, a specific fungal infection. They are more rapid than fungal cultures but only test for a specific fungal species, so the doctor has to know what fungal organism to test for. Many people have fungal antibodies from a prior exposure to the organism so that a single antibody test may not confirm the presence of a current infection. If antibody tests are requested to see if antibody concentrations (titres) are changing, the evaluation of results may take several weeks.

  • When is it requested?

    Fungal tests are requested whenever a doctor suspects that a patient may have a fungal infection. They may also be requested after or periodically during treatment to evaluate its effectiveness. In some patients, fungal tests may be requested periodically to monitor for infection recurrence. Many signs and symptoms of fungal infections are similar to those caused by bacteria and/or viruses, and fungal tests are often requested when it is not clear what is causing the condition.

    For superficial infections, tests may be requested when symptoms involving skin, nails, or mucous membranes appear, for example:

    • Itchy, red, scaly areas of skin
    • Nails that are thickened, brittle, and/or deformed
    • White patches in the mouth (thrush)
    • Vaginal itching and discharge (yeast infection)

    Deep and systemic fungal infections may cause a variety of symptoms depending on the part of the body that is affected. Some examples include:

    • Lung infections may produce flu-like symptoms such as coughing, fever, muscle aches, headaches, and rashes.
    • Blood infections (septicaemia) may cause chills, fever, nausea, rapid heartbeat
    • Central nervous system (CNS) infections (meningitis) may cause severe persistent headache, stiff neck, and sensitivity to light.
  • What does the test result mean?

    Superficial Infections
    Many superficial fungal infections are diagnosed based on a physical examination. In addition to general symptoms, many skin infections have characteristic signs (such as the appearance of infected nails) and typical locations on the body (such as athlete’s foot between the toes). A clinical evaluation cannot, however, definitively tell the doctor which microorganism is causing a fungal infection. A few laboratory tests may be useful in detecting and confirming a fungal infection and may help guide treatment. These may include:

    Test Name

    Sample Type(s)

    Description

    Uses

    Time for Results

    Microscopy- KOH prep (potassium hydroxide solution) followed by alcofluor white stain Skin scrapings, hair or nail clippings, body fluids, sputum KOH: Dissolves non fungal elements in a sample. Reveals yeast cells and fungal hyphae
    Calcofluor: Stain binds to fungal elements in a sample and fluoresces under ultraviolet light. Allows visualisation on microscope slide. More sensitive means of visualising fungi.
    Detects fungi but does not tell what specific fungus is present. Rapid
    Fungal Culture Skin, nail, hair, body fluids, tissue, vaginal swab, sputum, blood A sample is inoculated onto or into specialised media and incubated to grow any fungi present in sample. Identification is made by is appearance on the media together with further microscopy using a special stain (lactophenol cotton blue) Primary tool to diagnose a fungal infection. Grows fungi for identification tests and subsequent susceptibility testing. Weeks

    Deep and Systemic Infections
    When a more definitive diagnosis is needed, as in cases of persistent, deep, or systemic infections, more extensive testing may be required to identify which fungus is causing the infection and how it may best be treated. This usually involves a combination of the tests mentioned above plus the following tests:

    Test Name

    Sample Type(s)

    Description

    Uses

    Time for Results

    Susceptibility testing

    Sample of fungus isolated in culture Follow-up to fungal culture. When a pathogenic fungus has been identified, susceptibility is sometimes requested to determine the most effective antifungal agent(s) to use. Guide treatment Days to weeks after culture

    Antigen testing

    Blood, CSF, body fluids Detects proteins associated with a specific fungus. This type of test available for a variety of fungi. Diagnose infection by specific fungus Day(s)

    Antibody testing

    Blood, CSF, body fluids Detects immune response to a specific fungus. May be requested as a single sample  or as two separate samples collected 2 to 3 weeks apart. Diagnose current or recent infection by specific fungus; Monitor treatment Day(s) or Weeks

    Molecular tests for DNA, RNA

     

    Sample of fungus isolated in culture, blood, CSF, body fluids Detects genetic material of a specific fungus. Detects some fungi; not yet widely available, some in research settings only Days to weeks

    If an antigen test is positive, then it is likely that the fungus identified is the cause of the person’s infection. A positive antibody test result in a single serum sample may indicate exposure to a specific fungus, but it does not indicate when the exposure occurred. Rising concentrations of antibodies in two serum samples, measured on the initial sample, and a follow up sample, can indicate an active or recent fungal infection. Some infected patients with compromised immune systems may have lower than expected antibody concentrations.

    If there are no fungi recovered in the sample, then the patient may not have a fungal infection or the pathogen was not successfully recovered with the sample and test. 

  • Is there anything else I should know?

    Fungal infections may often need to be distinguished from infections due to other microorganisms, such as bacteria. In some cases, an infection may have both bacteria and fungi present. Tests that may be used to identify or rule out other causes include:

    • Gram stain – A rapid test performed to microscopically detect bacteria and/or fungi in a sample.
    • Bacterial culture – Used to rule out a bacterial infection or determine if concurrent bacterial infection exists.
    • AFB smear and culture – Requested when a mycobacterial infection such as tuberculosis is suspected.
    • Blood culture – Requested when septicaemia is suspected.

    Fungi thrive in moist environments, such as public swimming pool and gym lockers, inside sweaty shoes, constrictive clothing, and in skin folds. Fungal skin infections can be minimised by wearing flip-flops or sandals to limit direct exposure, by changing socks frequently, drying out shoes, and keeping moist areas of the body clean and dry. 

  • If I have a persistent cough and fever, why would my doctor ask me where I have been travelling and what activities I have been doing?

    Some fungi are found in distinct geographical regions, you may have been exposed to fungal spores. This can be true, even if travel was not recent. Lung infections caused by some fungi may emerge months to even years after exposure. (For more on this, see Traveller’s Diseases.)

  • If my doctor thinks I have a fungal infection, why are they testing me for tuberculosis?

    Many of the signs and symptoms associated with fungal lung infections could also be due to a tuberculosis infection. Generally, a doctor would perform tuberculosis testing (such as an AFB smear and culture) to rule out a mycobacterial infection as the cause of your symptoms. The organisms that cause both conditions tend to be slow-growing – both in the body and in the laboratory.

  • Why would my doctor take multiple kinds of samples?

    Multiple samples may be taken to evaluate how far into the body an infection has spread and sometimes to increase the likelihood that the fungus will be recovered.   

  • Will my fungal infection eventually resolve itself without treatment?

    Some may, but most persist without treatment. Lung and systemic infections may grow progressively worse and cause permanent tissue and organ damage even when symptoms are not severe. Some deep infections are almost uniformly fatal without treatment.

  • Is it really necessary to continue treatment for a long period of time?

     Yes. Even if you start feeling better in a short period of time, you should follow your doctor’s recommendations. While yeast infections may resolve within a few days to weeks, some fungal infections may require months or even years of consistent treatment.