At Gribbles Veterinary we are always keen to listen to our customers and look for ways to enhance our services. So when you asked if we could review the incubation times for non-ringworm cultures (especially for sinonasal Aspergillosis), we investigated further.
As a result of this review, we have now amended our protocol, increasing the length of incubation. Our previous protocol would have detected the vast majority of cases, however according to literature, in some cases fungal growth may take longer to appear than previously thought.
Non-ringworm fungal cultures will now be incubated for a total of 14 days before being reported as “negative”. All positive cultures will continue to be reported as they occur.
Reference: Billen F et al. Effect of sampling method and incubation temperature on fungal culture in canine sinonasal aspergillosis. Journal of Small Animal Practice 50: 67-72, 2009.