Mel hods of Diagnosis of Fungous Disease L3 



4. CUTANEOUS TESTS 



The use of Fungus vaccines in diagnosis and treatment has not been 



entirely clarified. We believe trichopliytin to be specific in that it denotes 

 sensitization In infection with a dermatophyte. Not every patient with 

 a fungous infection is sensitized, since many virulent fungi do not have 

 the capacity to sensitize the skin. The test, then, is not always diagnostic, 

 although it is specific. Oidiomycin elicits so many reactions that it is useless 

 in diagnosis. The reactions to coccidioidin, blastomycin and sporotrichin 

 are considered to be specific. The subject is dealt with in more detail in 

 Chapter VI, "Immunity and Cutaneous Sensitization." 



5. ANIMAL INOCULATION 



In order better to establish the pathogenicity of a given strain of micro- 

 organism, inoculation of the fungus into various laboratory animals may 

 be helpful. It may also be used to obtain pure strains of a fungus which is 

 also pathogenic to animals, It is used chiefly when one is working with 

 the deep fungous infections, if negative results are obtained from the direct 

 examination or from cultures. 



6. FERMENTATION TESTS 



Hopkins and Iwamoto found that fungi of the ringworm group utilize 

 certain sugars by a process of acid fermentation but do not ferment lactose, 

 saccharose, xylose or 1-arabinose. All of the saprophytes which they studied 

 fermented one or more of these sugars. In a later study Hopkins and 

 Iwamoto were able to divide fungi of the ringworm group into three 

 classes, which were based on speed of fermentation. Castellani, Benham 

 and others have classified the \ easts and yeastlike fungi according to their 

 fermentation reactions. 



7. AGGLUTINATION TESTS 



These are useful in the identification of the monilias (Benham). Conant 

 also uses the agglutination reaction as a diagnostic test for blastomycosis. 



8. PRECIPITATION AND COMPLEMENT FIXATION TESTS 



These are also used with certain of the rare mycoses. Greenbaum inves- 

 tigated the Kolmer complement fixation test as applied to a group of serums 



