Mucosal skin biopsy is the removal of a small piece of skin or
mucous membrane. The sample can be retrieved in several ways: a
shave biopsy (scraping or shaving a thin layer), a punch biopsy
(using a needle or punch to obtain a small, but deeper, sample), or
an excision of tissue (cutting to remove a piece of tissue). The
sample is sent to the laboratory to isolate and identify organisms
that cause infection.
Review Date: 10/18/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical
Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
