Degradation of fungal DNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sinus fungal balls hampers reliable sequence-based identification of fungi.

Identification of the etiologic agent responsible for sinus fungal ball (SFB) is rarely obtained due to either the culture of patient specimens not being ordered or if cultures were inoculated they proved to be negative. Obviously, this has a significant impact on the design of appropriate therapeutic strategies. We investigated whether paraffin-embedded (PE) tissues, the only materials often available, were suitable for the correct identification of the responsible fungi.