Which magnifications are used in the tease mount examination?

Which magnifications are used in the tease mount examination?

• A. 10X, 40X, and oil immersion
• B. 4X, 10X
• C. 100X
• D. 400X

Answer: (A)

Tease mount examination relies on looking at fungal elements at progressively higher magnifications to locate and then clearly identify fine details. You’d start with a low power, such as 10X, to frame the preparation and spot the hyphae or spores. Then switch to 40X to examine morphology more closely and observe features like hyphal structures or conidia in enough detail to differentiate forms. For the finest details, you move to oil immersion, which usually corresponds to 100X, because the immersion oil reduces light refraction and sharpens resolution, letting you see small, critical features such as spore ornamentation and precise septation. The other options either omit an essential magnification step or rely on a magnification that doesn’t balance locating and detailing the structures as effectively.

Tease mount examination relies on looking at fungal elements at progressively higher magnifications to locate and then clearly identify fine details. You’d start with a low power, such as 10X, to frame the preparation and spot the hyphae or spores. Then switch to 40X to examine morphology more closely and observe features like hyphal structures or conidia in enough detail to differentiate forms. For the finest details, you move to oil immersion, which usually corresponds to 100X, because the immersion oil reduces light refraction and sharpens resolution, letting you see small, critical features such as spore ornamentation and precise septation. The other options either omit an essential magnification step or rely on a magnification that doesn’t balance locating and detailing the structures as effectively.