Germ tube test

Specific diagnostic agent for Candida albicans. Incubation in a suitable medium (e.g. serum or rice agar) at 37°C for 2 hours will result in the formation of germ tubes. These are pre-forms of hyphae until the formation of the 1st septum.

After only 90 minutes the yeast cells can be examined together with the germ tube solution in a reversal microscope at approx. 200x magnification to detect the formation of a germ tube (no constriction at the point of origin, germ tube formation more than 3x the diameter of the yeast cell).

Note: Not all isolates of C. albicans are positive for tuberculosis.