title: Alternative, cost-effective fungus-staining method for control slides in cytology and histopathology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a cost-effective, reliable and safe method of providing fungal control slides for routine use in pathology laboratories.
  
  
  METHODS
  A set of easily available, low-cost material was tested to obtain fungal colonies on substrate adequate for paraffin-embedded sections or smears.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Such material as cheese is a simple, inexpensive and practical culture medium for silver-positive fungi. A batch of paraffin blocks can be prepared to maintain a stock of control material in the laboratory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is useful to maintain fungal colonies to produce staining control specimens using small pieces of refrigerated cheese to easily produce silver-staining control specimens or smears embedded in paraffin, reducing the risk of accidental exposure to potentially infective pathogens in the laboratory. This method might also be a good alternative for conserving routine surgical specimens, considering the currently decreasing numbers of necropsy and large specimens, particularly from immunosuppressed and infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Radiation, Faculty of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul, Hospital Sao Lucas, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. vinids@pucrs.br
authors.forename: Vinicius Duval
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: da Silva
mesh_terms: D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D005658:Fungi / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000473:pathology*; D010336:Pathology / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D016622:Silver Staining / Q000191:economics; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D003470:Culture Media