Microcheck was the first microbiology lab to offer microbial identifications commercially in 1988. Since our beginning we have identified over 500,000 samples with over 50,000 being fungal identification tests by our staff mycologist.

Fungal isolates are identified by our staff mycologist and by our DNA Sequencing services.

Our mycologist Dr. Sinclair

Our staff mycologist, Dr. M.G. Sinclair, uses a library of fungal keys and more than 40 years of experience to speciate filamentous fungi, including Penicillium species. To date, no fungal identification system exists that can identify fungal isolates with acceptable accuracy. An experienced mycologist is the most reliable (and rare) ‘fungal identification system’ available. Filamentous Fungi Identified at Microcheck

When identifying Penicillium to species Dr. Sinclair utilizes The Pitt method. The Pitt method, developed over many years by Dr. John Pitt of Australia, involves aseptically transferring conidia from the suspected Penicillium isolate to soft agar. This conidial suspension is used to inoculate four different media (Czapek yeast extract agar (CYA), malt extract agar (MEA), 25% glycerol nitrate agar (G25N), and neutral creatine sucrose agar (CSN)). The CYA plates are incubated at two different temperatures (25°C and 37°C) and the MEA, G25N, and CSN plates are incubated at 25°C. After a week of incubation, upon which the keys are based, the isolates are evaluated macroscopically for colony diameter, color, mycelium, exudate, soluble pigment, and the appearance of the colony on the bottom, or reverse side, of the plate. The isolates are also examined microscopically, with the evaluation of the penicilli of extreme importance. The penicilli may be monoverticillate, biverticillate, terverticillate, or quaterverti¬cillate. The length and texture of the stipes and rami and the length, texture, number, and shape of the metulae, phialides, and conidia are also critical in using the keys developed by Dr. Pitt. 223 different species of Penicillium are included in Pitt’s latest work (Pitt, J. I. 2000. A Laboratory Guide to Common Penicillium species, Third Edition. Food Science Australia. 197 pp.).