title: Laboratory mill for pulverizing and homogenizing nail specimens as an aid to microscopy and culture confirmation of onychomycosis.
abstract: A small mill has been developed for reducing nail clippings to a convenient size for microscopy and inoculation onto isolation media. The milling process acts to pulverize and homogenize the specimen. The use of a homogeneous sample in microscopy increases the opportunity for the discovery of fungal hyphae in a specimen. The use of a pulverized specimen increases the possibility of culture isolation by permitting greater numbers of potentially viable fungal cells to come into direct contact with the isolation medium.
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003470:Culture Media; D005260:Female; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005670:Fusarium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D006878:Hydroxides; D008722:Methods; D008829:Microbiology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D003904:Mitosporic Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009262:Nails / Q000382:microbiology*; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D010407:Penicillium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011188:Potassium; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D006878:Hydroxides; D011188:Potassium