CANDIDA 293 



find the classification of these organisms as simple as that of the 

 Cryptococcoideae, for instance. But this will not be obtained by 

 ignoring the literature of any branch of applied mycology whether 

 it is phyto- or zoopathological. 



Recently, Diddens and Lodder have given us an indication of how 

 they are treating the Candidoideae in their forthcoming monograph. 

 In the main, we follow their system since it seems the best and very 

 much the simplest of any of the many recent schemes devised by 

 several outstanding specialists in the group. The Candidoideae con- 

 sist of yeast-like anascosporogenous fungi with pseudomycelium, true 

 mycelium, or both and reproduction by blastospores, arthrospores, 

 or both. The division of the subfamily into genera is accomplished 

 on the basis of the kinds of spores formed. Those with blastospores 

 but no arthrospores can be classified as Candida, those with both 

 blastospores and arthrospores as Trichosporon, and those with arthro- 

 spores only or possibly rarely with blastospores as Geotrichum. This 

 is a broad interpretation of genera but it seems best, at least for the 

 present. The pathogenic genus Blastomyces (Chapter VI) is actu- 

 ally a mold, but it is often considered a yeast-like fungus. 



Candida. This is a large diverse and important genus and as used 

 here contains organisms of medical and industrial importance. For- 

 merly, many of these organisms were known as Monilia. Monilia 

 as understood by the bacteriologist or medical mycologist is quite a 

 different entity from the genus known as Monilia to the general my- 

 cologist. To the latter the term at once suggests the non-sexual 

 multiplication of the ascomycetous parasite of plums and other fruits, 

 Sclerotinia. Here we have to deal with an essentially mold-like or- 

 ganism producing no yeast cells, which forms conidia in chains (some- 

 times branched) on aerial conidiophores, the individual spores con- 

 nected by characteristic small intervening cells known as disjunctors. 

 This seems to be the proper usage of the term. To the medical my- 

 cologist the term suggests an essentially yeast-like organism occur- 

 ring on mucous membranes or skin lesions, which forms mycelium 

 at least in media with low nutrient content. Recently, by agreement 

 among many medical mycologists, Candida has come into fairly 

 general use for "Monilia" used in this sense. Candida may have to 

 be validated as a "nomen conservandum" by an authoritative inter- 

 national congress because another name, Syringospora, appears to 

 have priority, and Mycotorula is believed to be the valid name by 

 other well-known mycologists. However, Diddens and Lodder who 

 specialize on the yeast-like fungi maintain that Candida is valid and 

 correct for this group without authorization. 



