Yeast Screen
Test Mnemonic
FUNGSC
CPT Codes
- 87118 - QTY (1)
- 87077 - QTY (1)
- 87106 - QTY (1)
- 87107 - QTY (1)
- 87153 - QTY (1)
- 87181 - QTY (1)
- 87184 - QTY (1)
- 87185 - QTY (1)
- 87186 - QTY (1)
- 87186 - QTY (1)
- 87186 - QTY (1)
- 87186 - QTY (1)
- 87102 - QTY (1)
LOINC ®
580-1
Aliases
- Candidiasis
- Oral Candida
- Vaginal yeast
- Vulvovaginitis
- Yeast culture
- Culture, Rapid Growing Yeast
- Yeast Screen
Includes
- Specimens may include some pre-processing steps to aid in recovery of yeast
Performing Laboratory
Cleveland Clinic Laboratories
Specimen Requirements
| Volume | Type | Container | Collect Temperature | Transport Temperature | Special Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swab | Vaginal | E Swab | Wipe away excessive amount of secretion and discharge prior to collection. Secretions from the mucosal membrane of the vaginal vault should be collected with a moist E-swab. If fungal infections other than Candida species are suspected, fungal culture and smear should be ordered and required pre-approval for this specimen source by contacting the lab/medical director. | ||
| 3 mL | Urine, random | BD Vacutainer C+S Preservative Tube (Gray) | Urine: Preferred collection is 3 ml urine in a BD gray top preservative tube. Alternatively, collect 50 ml of first morning void in sterile container. Patient prep: Usual preparation for clean mid-void urine. Refrigerated transport is preferred with stability of 48 hrs. if preserved. Ambient temperature can be used although stability is decreased (2 hrs. if unpreserved, 48 hrs. if preserved) | ||
| Swab | Other | E Swab | Oral: Mucosal surface of gums, oral lesions and oropharyngeal specimens can be screened when thrush is suspected. Lesions should be scraped gently and submitted for culture. If fungal infections other than Candida species are suspected, fungal culture and smear should be ordered and required pre-approval for this specimen source by contacting the lab/medical director. | ||
| Swab | Other | E Swab | Ear: Ear swabs are permissible, with an extended holding period of 28 days to facilitate the recovery of fungal organisms. However, for heightened sensitivity in detection, scrapings from the ear should be prioritized and submitted as a Fungal Culture and Smear (FCULSM). When conducting ear swabs, employing aseptic technique is crucial; gently rotate the E-swab within the canal for optimal sampling. | ||
| Swab | Eye | E Swab | Eye: Eye swabs are permissible, with an extended holding period of 28 days to facilitate the recovery of fungal organisms. However, for heightened sensitivity in detection, scrapings and fluids from the eye should be prioritized and submitted as a Fungal Culture and Smear (FCULSM). | ||
| Swab | Other | E Swab | Tissue/Body Fluid/Other: Swabs are not the most effective method for recovering fungal organisms. For optimal detection, it's highly advisable to submit a tissue or fluid sample for Fungal Culture and Smear (FCULSM). However, in cases where only a yeast infection is suspected and obtaining tissue or fluid samples isn't feasible due to the location of the infection, a swab may be used to recover yeast. |
Stability
| Environmental Condition | Description |
|---|---|
| Ambient | 7 days |
| Refrigerated | 7 days |
| Frozen | Unacceptable |
Days Performed
Sun - Sat
Turnaround Time
10 days
Methodology
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Culture |
Reference Range
Special Info
Specimens are plated on special fungal media for recovery, isolation and identification of yeast. Cultures are only held for 7 days. This is adequate time to culture yeast organisms but if fastidious yeast or filamentous mold infections are suspected fungal culture and smear (FCULSM) should be ordered by contacting the lab/medical director. Susceptibility testing on isolated recovered from vaginal and oral samples must be separately requested when clinically indicated. These requests can be made by calling lab client services or by calling the lab/medical director. Additional CPT codes may be applicable for recovery and identification of yeast - 87102 Fungal culture, 87106 - ID by MALDI-TOF Mass Spec for yeast, 87107 - ID by MALDI-TOF Mass Spec for Mold, 87153 - DNA sequencing, 87186 - Fungal susceptibility testing for yeast by request only.
Clinical Info
This test can be utilized to determining etiology of infectious vaginitis, monitoring therapeutic efficacy for vaginitis and/or management of chronic recurring disease. Diagnosis can be challenging as yeast are part of the normal vaginal and oral flora. Clinical factors such as clinical symptoms and signs consistent with disease should be considered. In cases of recurrent infections where development of resistance is suspected, susceptibility testing can be requested by contacting lab client services and/or the lab/medical director.
Clinical Limitation
Yeast especially Candida species are part of the normal vaginal and oral flora. Significance of recovery and identification of yeast from these sites requires clinical correlation.
Clinical Reference
Westblade et. al. Larone’s Medically Important Fungi, 7th edition, ASM press, Washington DC., 2024. Leber et al., Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook, 5th edition, ASM press, Washington, DC. 2023. Carroll, et al. Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 13th Edition, Volume 3, ASM Press, Washington, DC. 2024.