A Rapid and Simple Method for the Laboratory Diagnosis of Trichophyton Verrucosum

When slope cultures are used to isolate fungi from dermatological specimens, the very slow growing fungus Trichophyton verrucosum cannot be identified in less than 2 wk. The use of petri-dish cultures allows direct examination of the inocula under the low power of the microscope after a brief period of incubation, when the distinctive appearance of T. verrucosum, which forms short, thick hyphae, many of which end in swollen vesicles, permits accurate reporting in 4 days. The same method allows rapid reporting of cultures on specimens that are microscopically negative and the removal of fast-growing contaminants before they obscure neighbouring inocula.