Abstract

BAVA, Amadeo Javier  and  ZUIANI, María Fernanda. Quality evaluation of the mycological diagnosis. Acta bioquím. clín. latinoam. [online]. 2006, vol.40, n.1, pp.35-39. ISSN 0325-2957.

An anonymous and not compulsory inquiry among participant laboratories in the Mycology Sub-Program of the Quality Assurance System (QAS) from Fundación Bioquímica Argentina was carried out in order to evaluate their capacity for identification of fungal species and the type and number of mycological practices performed by them. One hundred and thirty five laboratories (34%) answered the formulated questions whom Nearly 75% of them processed monthly 1-10 mycologycal studies and nearly 10% did the same with ≥ 50. About 35% of the participants referred to their ability to determine the genus of the isolated dermatophytes and other 35% stated they were also able to identify the species. Similar values corresponded to the identification of yeasts of the genus Candida, while 20-40% of the laboratories said they were unable to recognize the isolates of Aspergillus, Mucorales and Histoplasma capsulatum. Twenty two per cent of the laboratories admitted being able to identify Pneumocystis jiroveci in respiratory samples, 87% of them using the Giemsa stain. More than 95% of the laboratories answered that they determine neither the antifungal susceptibility in vitro of the isolated strains nor the presence of specific antibodies, or the delayed skin tests with fungal antigens. Most participant laboratories can be classified as “low complexity” and most of them should have to make an effort to improve their capacity of identification of medically important fungal species.

Keywords : quality control; mycology; mycological diagnosis.

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