Exercise # 22 (Morphology of Fungi) Slide Culture Method

Fungi

inoculated in small blocks of nutrition deficient agar medium (like cornmeal agar or potato dextrose agar), covered with a coverslip and incubated.

Slide Culture Technique

• It is a cost-effective, rapid method for the identification of fungal isolates based on their morphological and/ microscopic characteristics.

Slide Culture Technique

• As fungi grow directly on the slide on a thin film of agar, there is no need to remove a portion of the fungus from a culture plate and transfer it to the slide. This reduces the chance of damage to fragile reproductive structures or spore-bearing structures of fungi.

Slide Culture Technique

this method is not suited to fungi which take more than a few days to reach maturity

i. Method 1

1. Aseptically, with a pair of forceps, place a sheet of sterile filter paper in a Petri dish.

2. Place a sterile U-shaped glass rod on the filter paper (rod can be sterilized by flaming if held by forceps).

3. Pour enough sterile water (about 4 ml) on filter paper to completely moisten it and place a sterile slide on the U-shaped rod.