KOH test
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The KOH test is a procedure in which potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used to detect fungi by dissolving human cells in a culture. The difference in cell wall composition of human cells and fungal cells allows this procedure to help distinguish the two cells. KOH denatures the proteins in the human cell; only the fungal cells remain to be seen under the microscope.
KOH test procedure:
- Take scraping from margin (not center) of lesion
- Place on clean slide
- Add 2-3 drops of 10% KOH in water
- Warm the slide (don't boil)
- Optional - add 1 drop of lactophenol cotton blue
- Add cover slip
- Examine immediately under high dry magnification with light microscope
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
