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Comparative Study
. 1990 Jul-Aug;13(4):337-9.
doi: 10.1016/0732-8893(90)90027-s.

A comparison of calcofluor white, potassium hydroxide, and culture for the laboratory diagnosis of superficial fungal infection

D J Haldane  1 , E Robart
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A comparison of calcofluor white, potassium hydroxide, and culture for the laboratory diagnosis of superficial fungal infection

D J Haldane et al. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1990 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

A total of 207 skin scrapings were prospectively studied using potassium hydroxide (KOH), calcofluor white (CW), and culture to determine the clinical usefulness of each microscopic method. For dermatophytes (prevalence 13.2%), CW had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity 95%, giving a positive predictive value of 74% and negative predictive value of 99%. KOH had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 95%, giving a positive predictive value of 73% and a negative predictive value of 98%. CW was simple, rapid, and easy to read. For dermatophyte infection, CW results are as useful as KOH results.

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