Abstract
The detection of fungal elements and their characterization in patient specimens provides fundamental information. On histological sections fungi are most frequently seen on skin or mucosal surfaces or as mycotic thrombi or emboli that can occlude both arteries and veins in surgical specimen from immunocompromised patients or tissues obtained from autopsies. Microbial culture continues to be the central method for diagnosing fungal infection but is complemented by histomorphology using specific stains capable of identifying previously unsuspected fungal infections or for evaluating tissue invasion. These stains employ oxidizing reagents to create aldehyde binding sites on polysaccharides (1,2-glycol groups) of fungal cell walls for either Schiff’s reagent or Silver ions. Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) and Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) or their modifications are the most commonly used for tissue sections and in cytology specimens.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Rotterdam H, Tsang P (1994) Gastrointestinal disease in the immunocompromised patient. Hum Pathol 25(11):1123–1140
Bancroft JD, Gamble M (2002) Theory and practice of histological techniques, 5th edn. Churchill Livingstone, New York, NY, pp 335–338
Hotchkiss RD (1948) Arch Biochem 16:13
McManus JFA (1946) Nature 158:202
McManus JFA (1948) Histological and histochemical uses of periodic acid. Stain Tech 23:99–108
Carson FL (1997) Histotechnology: a self-instructional text, 2nd edn. American Society of Clinical Pathology, Chicago, IL
Gömöri G (1946) A new histochemical test for glycogen and mucin. Am J Clin Pathol 16:177
Grocott RG (1955) A stain for fungi in tissue sections and smears using Gomori's methenamine-silver nitrate technic. Am J Clin Pathol 8(25):975–979
Feulgen R, Rosenbeck H. Microchemical test for nucleic acid of the thymonucleic acid type and the selective staining of cell nuclei in microscopic preparations. Z physiol Chem. 1924;135:203.
Acknowledgments
RK would like to thank Sabine Blach, BMA at the Histopathology Laboratory of the Clinical Institute of Pathology for technical advice.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Kain, R. (2017). Histopathology. In: Lion, T. (eds) Human Fungal Pathogen Identification. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1508. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6515-1_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6515-1_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6513-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6515-1
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols