FF MicroPlate™ - Biolog | Fungi Identification Test Panel

Over the past several years, mycology has emerged as an increasingly important part of the microbiology laboratory. Fungal contaminants can contribute to significant losses in food and industrial processes. Environmental monitoring over the last several years has focused increasingly on fungal isolates as the source of conditions such as sick building syndrome. In agriculture, fungal pathogens cause serious problems requiring constant attention from phytopathologists. In human disease, the list of fungal pathogens has grown in the clinical laboratory due to an increased population of immunocompromised patients.

The Biolog FF MicroPlate™ (Figure 1) is the first broad based rapid identification and characterization product designed for filamentous fungi and yeast, including species from the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Alternaria, Mucor, Gliocladium, Cladosporium, Paecilomyces, Stachybotrys, Trichoderma, Zygosaccharomyces, Acremonium, Beauveria, Botryosphaeria, Botrytis, Candida, and Geotrichum.

The FF MicroPlate employs a redox chemistry similar to Biolog's other proven microbial identification/characterization products. This chemistry, based on reduction of tetrazolium, responds to the process of metabolism (oxidation of substrates). Biolog’s universal chemistry works with any carbon source and greatly simplifies the testing process, as no color developing chemicals need to be added after incubation. The FF database also analyzes fungal growth via turbidimetric analysis.

Analysis of both color development and turbidity provides for extremely accurate identifications to the species level. There are currently over 70,000 named species of an estimated 250,000 species of fungi. For scientists working with fungi outside the Biolog database, the FF MicroPlate and MicroLog™ software have been designed to allow the user to create their own database by adding the patterns produced by new cultures.

A1	A2	A3	A4	A5	A6	A7	A8	A9	A10	A11	A12
Water	Tween 80	N-Acetyl-D-Galactosamine	N-Acetyl-DGlucosamine	N-Acetyl-DMannosamine	Adonitol	Amygdalin	D-Arabinose	L-Arabinose	D-Arabitol	Arbutin	D-Cellobiose
B1	B2	B3	B4	B5	B6	B7	B8	B9	B10	B11	B12
α-Cyclodextrn	β-Cyclodextrin	Dextrin	i-Erythritol	D-Fructose	L-Fucose	D-Galactose	D-Galacturonic Acid	Gentiobiose	D-Gluconic Acid	D-Glucosamine	α-D-Glucose
C1	C2	C3	C4	C4	C5	C6	C7	C8	C9	C10	C11
Glucose-1-Phosphate	Glucuronamide	D-Glucuronic Acid	Glycerol	Glycogen	m-Inositol	2-Keto-D-Gluconic Acid	α-D-Lactose	Lactulose	Maltitol	Maltose	Maltotriose
D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6	D7	D8	D9	D10	D11	D12
D-Mannitol	D-Mannose	D-Melezitose	D-Melibiose	α-Methyl-DGalactoside	β-Methyl-DGalactoside	α-Methyl-DGlucoside	β-Methyl-DGlucoside	Palatinose	D-Psicose	D-Raffinose	L-Rhamnose
F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	F6	F7	F8	F9	F10	F11	F12
γ-Amino-butyric Acid	Bromosuccinic Acid	Fumaric Acid	β-Hydroxy-butyric Acid	γ-Hydroxy-butyric Acid	p-Hydroxypheny lacetic Acid	α-Keto-glutaric Acid	D-Lactic Acid Methyl Ester	L-Lactic Acid	D-Malic Acid	L-Malic Acid	Quinic Acid
G1	G2	G3	G4	G5	G6	G7	G8	G9	G10	G11	G12
D-Saccharic Acid	Sebacic Acid	Succinamic Acid	Succinic Acid	Succinic Acid Mono-Methyl Ester	N-Acetly-LGlutamicAcid	Alaninamide	L-Alanine	L-Alanyl-Glycine	L-Asparagine	L-Aspartic Acid	L-Glutamic Acid
H1	H2	H3	H4	H5	H6	H7	H8	H9	H10	H11	H12
Glycyl-L-GlutamicAcid	L-Ornithine	L-Phenylalanine	L-Proline	L-Pyroglutamic Acid	L-Serine	L-Threonine	2-Amino Ethanol	Putrescine	Adenosine	Uridine	Adenosine-5'-Monophosp hate

Figure 1. Carbon Sources in FF MicroPlate

FF Database Photo Library

An important added feature of the FF Database is a unique library of macroscopic and microscopic fungal photographs of the fungi to aid in the identification of unknown organisms. This tool can be used to confirm the identification of unknown organisms by providing a visual and morphological verification of each species identified. The following two blocks of photos and captions are examples taken directly from the database software. Please note that the macroscopic photos are full color images.

Aspergillus flavus

(a) MA, 7 days; (b) CYA, 7 days; (c,d) conidiophores; (e) conidia.

(a-e) CBS 282.95.

Explanation of caption terminology: MA= Malt Extract Agar; CYA= Czapek Yeast Autolysate Agar

CBS 282.95, DAOM 216724 and CBS 324.89 are strain reference numbers

Penicillium aurantiogriseum var. aurantiogriseum

(a) MA, 7 days; (b) CYA, 7 days; (c,d) conidiophores; (e) conidia.

(a,b) DAOM 216724; (c-e) CBS 324.89.

FF MicroPlate and Database

Most scientists performing identifications on fungal samples still use traditional methods of macroscopic and microscopic examination. The FF MicroPlate and Database provide a simple and accurate method as an alternative or as a complement to these traditional methods that require a high degree of skill, training, and judgment.

The Biolog FF MicroPlate performs 95 discrete tests simultaneously and gives a characteristic reaction pattern called a “fingerprint”. These fingerprint reaction patterns provide a vast amount of information about the metabolic properties of each fungus tested, along with a species level identification. The FF Database contains over 400 taxa of fungi from over 120 genera.

Procedure for Using FF MicroPlate

The procedure is fast and simple, involving only 5 steps, and requiring only 2 to 3 minutes hands-on time per sample.

1.	Grow a pure culture of a fungus on a 2% Malt Extract Agar plate (Biolog part number 71106 for pre-poured plates) until enough conidiation is present to prepare a suspension.
2.	Swab the conidia from the surface of the agar plate, and suspend to a specified density in FF Inoculating Fluid (Biolog part number 72106).
3.	Pipet 100 μl of suspension into each well of the FF MicroPlate (Biolog part number 1006).
4.	Incubate the FF MicroPlate at 26º C for 24 – 96 hours.
5.	Read the MicroPlates using the Biolog MicroStation™ Reader beginning 24 hours after inoculation.

Broad Coverage, Many Applications

The Biolog FF Database is the first and only product of its kind. It has the largest database of any kit-based method for the identification of filamentous fungi. This superior product will be an invaluable addition to your microbiology laboratory. Included in this database are:

•	Clinically important, allergenic and mycotoxigenic fungi – Stachybotrys, Scopulariopsis, Paecilomyces, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Aspergillus, etc.
•	Significant indoor air fungi – Penicillium, Aspergillus, Eurotium, Rhizopus, Stachybotrys, Neurospora, Wallemia, etc.
•	Environmentally important fungi – Trichoderma, Fusarium, Mucor, Acremonium, Verticillium, Aureobasidium, Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces, etc.
•	Plant pathogenic fungi – Fusarium, Colletotrichum, Phoma, Botrytis, etc.
•	Food-borne fungi – Penicillium, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Moniliella, Cryptococcus, Candida, Saccharomyces, etc.
•	Broad coverage in important genera: over 60 Aspergillus spp., over 80 Pencillium spp., over 80 Fusarium spp.

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