AAMA CMA Practice Question

Why is potassium hydroxide (KOH) routinely added when preparing a wet mount of skin, hair, or nail scrapings for microscopic examination?

  • To precipitate viral inclusion bodies so they appear refractile.

  • To stain Gram-negative bacilli blue-violet for easier identification.

  • To clear keratinized tissue so that fungal hyphae and yeast cells are more visible.

  • To dissolve lipid-rich cell walls to reveal acid-fast bacilli.

AAMA CMA
Clinical Competency
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