American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Technologist in Cytogenetics certification (ASCP CG) Practice Test

How should you culture fetal and placental tissue that is suspected of fungal contamination?

1. Fetal tissue with Penicillin

2. Fetal tissue with Nystatin

3. Placental tissue alone

4. Both tissues without any additives

The correct answer is: Fetal tissue with Nystatin

Culturing fetal and placental tissue that is suspected of fungal contamination requires the use of antifungal agents to prevent fungal overgrowth and ensure accurate results from the culture. Nystatin is an antifungal medication that specifically targets yeasts and other fungal organisms. Its application in this situation is appropriate because it can help inhibit the growth of fungi while allowing for the isolation and analysis of any other relevant cells or microorganisms in the tissue. Using Nystatin in the culture setup helps create an environment that minimizes interference from fungi, thereby allowing for a better assessment of the fetal or placental tissues for other potential pathogens or anomalous cells. This is particularly important in cytogenetics, where the integrity of the cell samples is crucial for accurate analysis. The other choices do not provide suitable methods for managing suspected fungal contamination. For instance, using Penicillin would not be effective against fungi, as Penicillin is an antibiotic that primarily targets bacterial growth. Culturing the placental tissue alone might not provide a complete picture of the potential contamination in both tissues, while culturing both tissues without any additives would allow fungal contamination to proliferate unchecked, potentially compromising the quality and reliability of the culture results. Therefore, using Nystatin is the most effective choice for handling suspected fungal