Mycology (hair, skin & nails)

• Aseptic techniques should be used when collecting specimens to minimize contamination
• For optimal recovery of organisms, sufficient clinical material should be collected

Skin scrapings

• Gently scrape the surface of the skin at the active margin (periphery) of the lesion with a scalpel blade or a microscope slide, being careful to not draw blood
• Collect epidermal scales onto black paper
• Fold the paper and place in a transport bag

Nails

• Scrape/Clip away the souter layers (superficial portions) with the side of a surgical blade before collecting deeper sample (affected area)
• Collect material or debris from affected area onto black paper
• Fold the paper and place in a transport bag

Hairs

• Examine the scalp of the patient with a Wood’s lamp
• Using sterile forceps collect fluorescent, distorted or fractured hairs with base of the shaft intact (root of the hair is needed)
• Hairs are placed onto black paper
• Fold the paper and place into transport bag

• Wood lamp
• Scalpel/Microscope slide
• Sterile scissors / nail clipper
• Sterile forceps
• Black paper
• Sterile container/cup