Mycological Laboratory Techniques for Environmental Samples (1660V) Online

This two-day course will be conducted live via Zoom. For more details email registrar@mcri.org.

COURSE OUTLINE & SYLLABUS

Course schedule: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days (Central Time, U.S. and Canada). There will be a one-hour break for lunch and several short breaks throughout the day.

The laboratory techniques used in mycology are an essential part of the processes of identification. Whether the samples are in cultures or simply in bulk or on sticky tapes, these techniques facilitate proper sample preparation for fungal and mold identification.

This online course will present a variety of mycological laboratory techniques used in indoor air quality (IAQ) laboratories that you could use to prepare environmental samples for direct examination under the microscope. This course will focus on techniques used for sample preparation of non-viable and viable samples in IAQ laboratories such as spore traps, culturable air/surface samples, tapes, bulks, swabs, and dusts via live demonstration. Other topics will include aseptic methodology, media selection, fungal isolation from culture, as well as variety of environmental samples, culture collection, serial dilutions, and sample retention (archive). Sample preparation for PCR analyses will be discussed.

There is no prerequisite for this course.

Day 1
• Introduction: proper sample setup techniques for fungal identification
• Mycology of indoors-substrate selection by mold and fungi
• Legal implications of sample retention in commercial labs
• Use of compound microscopes-brightfield, phase contrast, and DIC/stereoscope
• Mounting media for sample preparation
• Culture collection

Day 2
• Making direct specimen mounts: tapes, bulks, swabs, dust, and cultures
• Fungal isolation techniques and culturing from tapes, bulks, swabs, and culture plates
• Examination techniques of macro-fungi as a bulk sample and wood decay
• Making permanent slides (Kohlmeyer technique)
• Making QC slides
• Concluding remarks
• Open discussion and Q&A