International Course Medical Mycology at Radboud University Medical Center, 5-9 February 2024
The Center of Expertise for Mycology of RadboudUMC / Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital will organize a hands-on course on fungal identification. This course is specially designed for lab technicians, but also other workers in lab diagnostics may wish to attend. Background of fungal classification will be explained in detail, with both theoretical and practical sessions. The relevant fungi will be shown, and brief introductions will be provided into other diagnostic techniques, such as PCR and Maldi-tof. A special session will be devoted to susceptibility testing. The course will be didactic in such a way that no special mycological background is required. The one-week course will terminate with an examination and certificate. Lectures will be given by Hein van der Lee, Sarah Ahmed, Sybren de Hoog and Paul Verweij.
Course fee is € 1000,-. for registration and payment. As course materials, the 5th edition of Larone’s Guide to Medically Important Fungi is used as a start; the course is based on the Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 4th edition, online version and hard copy. Participants are requested to bring their own laptop and lab coat.
Venue: Medical Microbiologie, RadboudUMC, Geert Grooteplein 10 Zuid, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Provisional program:
Day 1: Monday 5 Feb
Introduction to mycology:
Theory: Classification fungi, life cycles, opportunism versus pathogenicity, veterinary mycology.
Practice: Routine media, phenotypic identification of fungi, learn to work with Larone and the Atlas of Clinical Fungi.
Day 2: Tuesday 6 Feb
Lower fungi, basic techniques.
Theory: Mucorales: taxonomy and diseases.
Practice: Phenotypic identification of Mucorales; molecular identification.
ID of 5 unknown strains, self-learning.
Day 3: Wednesday
Yeasts and MIC testing.
Theory: Mycoses by yeasts, including Candida, Cryptococcus and Malassezia.
Antifungal susceptibility testing.
Alternative techniques:
Summary of molecular methods. Commercial kits, Dermagenius. MALDI-TOF.
Practice: Identification of yeasts and MIC determinations.
ID of 5 unknown strains, self-learning.
Demonstration of rapid methods, Lateral flow.
Day 4: Thursday 8 Feb
Opportunistic mycoses:
Theory: Aspergillus, Fusarium, black fungi: taxonomy and diseases.
Practice: Identification 25 opportunistic fungi.
Histology.
Day 5: Friday 9 Feb
Dermatophytes, subcutaneous and endemic mycoses:
Theory: Dermatophytes disease and identification, sporotrichosis, mycetoma, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis.
Histopathology.
Practice: Demonstration of 10 rare opportunistic fungi.
Final examination.
