Laboratory Foundation Training – knowledge and techniques for setting up mycology lab services
Laboratory Foundation Training is an AFWG-sponsored 3-month course to support the development and expansion of high-quality mycology laboratory services in Asia. This course will focus on providing trainees with the skills to contribute to the establishment of mycology laboratory services in their country. The training will be conducted in the laboratories and centers of the AFWG members.
The AFWG welcomes submissions from qualified applicants dedicated to improving the standard of medical mycology in their country. Applications from all countries in Asia are accepted, but currently Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam will be given priority. A limited number of individuals will be selected for sponsorship of the 3-month training course, and their attendance will be supported by the AFWG.
Who is eligible to apply for the course?
The AFWG is looking for applicants who are committed to setting up mycology laboratory services in their country. The main eligibility criteria are:
- Currently leads or has the potential to lead a laboratory
- Passionate about leading others in establishing mycology laboratory services
- Recommended for the course by hospital superintendent/director or an AFWG member
- Comfortable with English as a language of communication
- Holds an existing relevant qualification (certificate to be provided with your application)
If you fit these criteria, please consider submitting an application form to attend the Laboratory Foundation Training.
What commitment does attending the course entail?
For the course’s duration, the selected trainee will temporarily reside in the country assigned to his/her particular course. He or she will undergo onsite training at a working AFWG mycology laboratory. This is a full-time training course and trainees must commit and attend to the designated hours of work of the training laboratory.
What will I learn during the training course?
The curriculum for Laboratory Foundation Training has been designed to equip the trainee with the following key skills.
Core competencies to be achieved by the end of the course
Trainees will achieve independent capabilities in the following areas:
- Defining and implementing biosafety precautions while handling samples and fungal cultures in the laboratory
- Designing and setting up of a reference mycology laboratory
- Preparing media, reagents and stains required in the laboratory
- Processing of samples, performing standard laboratory procedures, microscopy and interpretation of results
- Identifying medically important common yeasts, dimorphic and mycelial fungi
- Performing serodiagnostic tests and antifungal susceptibility testing
- Performing limited molecular techniques for outbreak investigation
- Interpreting mycology laboratory reports and guiding clinicians in diagnosis and management of fungal diseases
- Maintaining quality control in the laboratory in pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical stages
Registration is now closed.
CURRICULUM OUTLINE
Over the 3 months of Laboratory Foundations Training, a wide variety of topics will be covered and trainees will develop and hone their aptitude in terms of both knowledge and technique. By addressing both types of learning targets, trainees will gain a fully comprehensive knowledge and skill set appropriate for establishing a reference mycology laboratory.
Knowledge 
The curriculum will also include training approaches to develop technical skills and achieve proficiency in the following technical aspects of mycology laboratory services.
Month 1
- Introduction to medical mycology, including growth and nutrition of fungi, taxonomy and conidiation
- Superficial fungal infections – Malassezia, dermatophytes and Candida infections
- Fungal keratitis
- Subcutaneous fungal infections – mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis
- Endemic (dimorphic) fungal infections
- Systemic yeast infections
- Abdominal fungal infections
- Cryptococcosis
- Aspergillosis in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts
- Fungal sinusitis
- Mucormycosis and entomophthoramycosis Pythiosis
Month 2
- Pneumocystosis
- CNS fungal infections
- Fungal eye and ear infections
- Hyalohyphomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis
- Rare fungal infections
- Fungal outbreaks
- Climate and fungi
- Fungal allergies
- Fungal diagnostics (conventional)
Month 3
- Fungal diagnostics (molecular)
- Antifungal agents
- Antifungal management – prophylaxis, empiric, pre-emptive and targeted
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibility testing
Technique
The following content will be presented and studied through self-guided learning activities, peer discussions and, occasionally, directive lectures.
Month 1
- Preparation of common media
- Staining of smears – 10% KOH, calcofluor, Gram stain, special fungal stains
- Biosafety procedures during processing samples and fungal isolates
- Microscopy – light, phase contrast, and fluorescence
- Slide culture and tape mount methods
- Identification of fungi causing superficial infections
- Yeast identification – conventional techniques including germ tube, Dalmau, urease, sugar assimilation and fermentation
- Yeast identification using commercial systems and MALDI
- Identification of dimorphic fungi
- Identification of hyalohyphomycetes and phaeohyphomycetes
- Identification of Mucorales and Entomophthorales
Month 2
- Interpretation of tissue reactions on histopathology slides
- Serodiagnosis – precipitation (Aspergillus), Cryptococcus latex agglutination/ELISA, specific IgE determination, galactomannan, and beta-glucan
- Antifungal susceptibility testing
Month 3
- Therapeutic drug monitoring – bioassay and HPLC
- Molecular diagnosis – real-time PCR
- Molecular typing for outbreak investigation – AFLP, MLST, DNA fingerprinting
- Quality control in the mycology laboratory
