Filtered Ultraviolet Radiation (Wood's Light) 277 



That Fungi iii culture fluoresce was first noted by Margarot and Deveze. 

 Vigne mentioned that T. crateriforme shows a strong violet fluorescence 

 in culture. Bommer pointed out that fungi in culture display a fluorescence 



different from that observed in the diseased hair, and cited as an example 

 the fact that whereas hairs infected with M. andonini have a green fluo- 

 rescence, the culture shows a yellowish-brown tint with a light violet shim- 

 mer on the surface. He stated that in an examination of about 200 cultures 

 of fungi on Sabouraud's medium he could not establish a variance in fluo- 

 rescence corresponding to the cultural differences. Using a special medium 

 containing urea and sucrose with the addition of minerals, the reaction of 

 which was neutral, Mallinckrodt-Haupt and Carrie obtained differences 

 in fluorescence among several different species of fungi. Microsporum 

 audouini showed a yellowish-green fluorescence and T. gypseum-asteroides 

 a greenish fluorescence, which later became blue. Epidermophyton inguinale 

 and Cryptococcus showed weak or no fluorescence. Achorion schoenleini 

 was at first greenish; in a month and a half it was copper-blue. Sporo- 

 trichum beurmanni exhibited a green fluorescence, subsequently becoming 

 blue. The investigators were unable to isolate chemically and to crystallize 

 out the substance causing the fluorescence. Experimental studies indicated, 

 however, that the color of the fluorescence depends on the reaction. The 

 addition of alkali to a culture filtrate caused a greenish fluorescence, while 

 the addition of hydrochloric acid caused a bluish fluorescence. It is inter- 

 esting here to note that Cortese, in working with several species of Actino- 

 mycetes, was able to extract fluorescent material with weak alcohol, puri- 

 fying it by shaking with acidified ether. The substance was found to be 

 amorphous, odorless and reddish brown. It belonged to the group of 

 porphyrins and showed a marked fluorescence in high dilutions. It is of 

 interest that the character of the culture mediums, in our experience, has 

 little effect on the fluorescent colorations of fungi. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



Bommer, S.: Hautuntersuchungen im gefilterten Quarzlicht, Klin. Wchnschr. 6:1142, 1927. 

 Cleveland, D. E. H.: "Wood light" in dermatologic diagnosis, with special reference to ring- 

 worm, Arch. Dermat. & Syph. 18:368, 1928. 

 Cortese, F.: Esame fluoroscopics di alcuni actinomiccti, Boll. d. Soc. ital. di biol. sper. 5:842 



1930. 

 Davidson, A. M., and Gregory, P. H.: Convenient source of Wood's light for diagnosis of 



ringworm of scalp, Canad. M. A. J. 27:176, 1932; Kitten carriers of Microsporon felineum 



and their detection by fluorescence test, ibid. 29:242, 1933. 

 ; Boyd, S. A., and Haltalin, C. P.: Improved source of ultraviolet light for diagnosis of 



ringworm of scalp, Canad. M. A. J. 33:534, 1935. 

 Goodman, H.: Fluorescence, particularly in dermatology, Brit. J. Dermat. 40:105, 1928. 

 Lewis, G. M.: Fluorescence of fungous colonies with filtered ultraviolet radiation (Wood's 



filter), Arch. Dermat. & Syph. 31:329, 1935. 



— , and Hopper, M. E.: Pseudo-achromia of tinea versicolor, Arch. Dermat. c\ Syph. 34:850, 



