cultures

[Steven Carpenter]

Doug,

You can get many cultures from the American Type Culture Collection, 
12301 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, MD 20852.

I applaud your efforts, but I have a concern about potential misuse by
IH's.  It is almost always the case that someone in a hurry decides that
the macroscopic picture of a culture will do, and that a microscope is
not necessary.  This usually results in misidentification, and possibly
a major mis-diagnosis of the problem.  As you know, macroscopic appearances
of cultures are highly variable, depending on media, growth conditions,
etc.  So, PLEASE, put in your accompany text in a conspicuous place that
macroscopic looks at the culture plate or tube is insufficient for 
identification, and an unprofessional practice for an IH.

Thanks.

-Steve Carpenter
 Cascade Research Associates
  & Abbey Lane Laboratory
 microbe at peak.org

Doug Rice (drice at drice.ehs.colostate.edu) wrote:
: Hello fellow fungal folks,

: I have embarked on a challenging project that will require the assistance of 
: all of you.  Scientists and hobyists alike.  I have begun collecting fungal 
: cultures that have been isolated from air samples, specifically the Anderson 
: impactor.  I hope to amass a large (75-100) collection to create the 
: definitive (!) identification guide of airborne fungi for Industrial 
: Hygienists.  I realize that there are excellent texts already available; 
: namely Siwert Nilsson's Eurpean Atlas and Grant Smith's Allergenic Pollens and 
: Molds.  However, most IH's would like to see the culture as it appears on 
: the plate along with the photomicrograph of the spore.

: Here's where you can help:  1) I need to know where to purchase a 
: large volume of fungal cultures, possibly 50 genera.  2) If you have fungal 
: cultures isolated from the air I would like to talk to you about a trade, 
: loan, or purchase.  and  3) If you are collecting similar data, let's compare 
: notes.  I would like to include extensive statistics in my text concerning the 
: prevalence of genera in specific environments.

: Many, many thanks in advance.