The use of fluorescein-labelled lectins in the detection and identification of fungi pathogenic for man: a preliminary study.

Fluorescein-labelled lectins of known specificities for different sugars were used in an attempt to identify fungi in paraffin sections of surgical and post-mortem material. Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and Rhizopus oryzae have been studied with five fluorescein-labelled lectins and with basis of differences in their reactions with these stains. The results accord well with what is known of the chemistry of the organisms and the method offers promise to practising histopathologists.