18 An Introduction to Medical Mycology 



by injection into a patient who was suffering from a deep-seated fungous 

 infection, a general reaction resulted, with malaise, a rise of temperature 

 and a local erythematous response at the site of the injection. No reactions 

 occurred in normal persons or in patients with superficial fungous infec- 

 tions. They also prepared an extract of Achorion schoenleini, but patients 

 with favus did not react to this or to trichophytin. 



Bloch inoculated animals with Achorion quinckeanum and Trichophyton 

 gypseum and showed that an animal so infected recovered spontaneously. 

 The animal was then immune for as long as a year and a half and during 

 that time could not be infected by either of the fungi just mentioned. 

 The animals all exhibited a hypersensitive response to trichophytin. 

 Bloch found that immunity could not be obtained except by cutaneous 

 inoculation; it did not result from subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injection. 

 Bloch and Massini found that immunity was obtained only from the inocu- 

 lation of the living organism which produced an actual infection. Injection 

 of trichophytin and favin (an extract of A. schoenleini) did not confer 

 immunity, nor did the animal become hypersensitive. Bruhns also found 

 that the inoculation of A. quinckeanum or T. gypseum caused immunity, 

 while the injection of some other fungi in culture did not. Bruhns and 

 Alexander confirmed the work of Bloch and found that fungi which pro- 

 duced deep-seated lesions had a greater power to immunize than those 

 which produced superficial infections. The difference may have been 

 partly due to the individual reaction, since the same fungus could produce 

 a deep infection in one person and a superficial glabrous infection in an- 

 other. Immunity was produced in the former but not in the latter instance. 

 Citron failed to confirm the work of Neisser and Plato and did not observe 

 any cutaneous reactions following the administration of trichophytin, even 

 in the cases of patients with deep-seated ringworm infection. 



Kusunoki was able to produce immunity in guinea-pigs with all types 

 of fungi; this immunity was complete for any member of the same group 

 of fungi. However, a strongly sensitizing fungus was capable of immuniz- 

 ing against all fungi, while the weaker infections did not prevent sub- 

 sequent infection with a virulent fungus. He had more difficulty in 

 producing immunity in rabbits than in guinea-pigs. He found that im- 

 munity may be transferred to the offspring when the mother is immune 

 before conception or during pregnancy and that immunity is relative and 

 not necessarily absolute. 



Prytek found that after the infection of guinea-pigs with fungi, further 

 inoculations produced either a modified form of the disease or no mani- 

 festations. Truffi noted the invariable response to the subcutaneous injection 

 of trichophytin in patients with a deep-seated infection. Lombardo con- 



