Kimura M, McGinnis M R
Second Department of Pathology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka-Sayama, Japan.
Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1998 Dec;122(12):1107-11.
The Fontana-Masson stain can be used to detect melanin of dematiaceous fungi such as Curvularia lunata and Bipolaris hawaiiensis in tissue. This stain is often used to identify fungi that may not have an evident brown color in hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections. However, it is not clear whether hyphae of nondematiaceous fungi can be stained with the Fontana-Masson procedure.
Paraffin sections from culture-proven mycoses caused by species of Aspergillus, Candida, Fusarium, Pseudallescheria, Trichosporon, zygomycetes, and dematiaceous fungi were stained by the Fontana-Masson procedure. Extent of stain intensity and its distribution in fungal elements in tissue were evaluated by means of an intensity scale based on Cryptococcus neoformans as a positive control.
Many Aspergillus spp, some zygomycetes, and all of the dematiaceous fungi showed strong intensity, whereas other fungi showed either weak intensity or no staining.
Fungal hyphae other than dematiaceous fungi occasionally can be stained with the Fontana-Masson procedure. The morphology of positively stained hyphae must be carefully evaluated, especially when they are hyaline in hematoxylin-eosin-stained tissue sections.
Fontana-Masson染色可用于检测组织中弯孢霉属和夏威夷双极霉等暗色真菌的黑色素。该染色常用于识别在苏木精-伊红染色切片中可能没有明显棕色的真菌。然而，尚不清楚非暗色真菌的菌丝是否能用Fontana-Masson方法染色。
对经培养证实由曲霉属、念珠菌属、镰刀菌属、拟阿利什霉属、毛孢子菌属、接合菌纲真菌和暗色真菌引起的真菌病的石蜡切片进行Fontana-Masson染色。以新型隐球菌作为阳性对照，通过强度量表评估组织中真菌成分的染色强度范围及其分布。
许多曲霉属、一些接合菌纲真菌和所有暗色真菌显示强染色强度，而其他真菌显示弱染色强度或无染色。
除暗色真菌外，其他真菌的菌丝偶尔可用Fontana-Masson方法染色。必须仔细评估阳性染色菌丝的形态，尤其是当它们在苏木精-伊红染色的组织切片中为透明时。
