Mycology Laboratory

The Mycology Laboratory serves as a reference facility for all NYSDOH licensed clinical laboratories including; hospitals, academic medical centers, county health departments and commercial laboratories.  The Mycology Laboratory has been part of the Wadsworth Center for almost sixty years with many notable contributions, the most famous being discoveries of the antifungal drug ‘nystatin’ by Drs. R. Brown and E. Hazen, and the cryptococcal latex agglutination test by Dr. Morris Gordon.  The scope and variety of activities in mycology at the Wadsworth Center are comprehensive and responsive to diverse public health needs in this sub-speciality.  The Mycology Laboratory conducts NYS Public Health Law and Federal CLIA ’92 mandated proficiency testing (PT) of laboratories licensed to test fungal specimens that originated from New York residents (http://www.wadsworth.org/ptp/mycology/index.htm).  Research and Development efforts complement diagnostic and PT programs by focusing on innovations in fungal diagnostics and antifungal testing, mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis, and molecular epidemiology. These activities are carried out in collaboration with scientists who work here at the Wadsworth Center  and investigators from around the globe. This critical research is supported primarily by public and private grants.  Excellent opportunities are available for the training of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and clinical laboratory personnel.