Paper I
2024 December (Supplementary) (2019 Scheme) · 100 marks · 180 min

Question

Fungal filament in skin scrapings can be visualized after digestion using

  • a) KOH
  • b) NaOH
  • c) KCl
  • d) NaCl
Qxii1 marksMCQs

Answer

- [x] a) KOH

Potassium hydroxide (KOH), typically as a 10–20% solution, is used to digest and clear keratin from skin/hair/nail scrapings, allowing fungal hyphae/spores to become visible under the microscope without being obscured by host keratinous debris — the standard rapid direct microscopy technique in diagnostic mycology. NaOH is a stronger alkali not conventionally used for this specific purpose in routine practice; KCl and NaCl are neutral salts with no keratin-digesting/clearing action, making them unsuitable for this application.

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