CULTURE MEDIA 53 



hour, filter, and add 70 gm. glucose and agar. Bruhns (1928) finds this medium 

 superior to that of Gruetz. 



The medium proposed by Macleod (1928) for the cultivation of Malassezia 

 furfur is quite similar: 



Grigorakis (1931) obtained interesting results with 40 gm. of glycerol added 

 to Sabouraud's conservation agar. Benedek advocates 8% crude glucose and 

 peptone (both Merck products). Farley (1920) adds 3-5% human blood heated 

 to 55° C. for 30 minutes to Sabouraud's test agar when cultivating Epider- 

 mophyton. Gentian violet 1 :500,000 is a useful addition to restrain bacterial 

 growth during the isolation of these organisms. 



I have found the prepared medium of the Digestive Ferments Company 

 satisfactory as Avell as media prepared from ingredients furnished by them. 

 Their peptone is too near neutral to reproduce exactly the giant colonies 

 figured by Sabouraud (1910). On the other hand, there is the advantage of 

 greater uniformity of different batches, something greatly to be desired when 

 comparing results secured at different times. 



Recently Langeron & ]\Iilochevitch (1930) and others have returned to 

 the cereal and dung media, of variable composition, but have secured inter- 

 esting morphology not produced on the classic Sabouraud medium and its 

 numerous variants. Nannizzi (1926), on the other hand, turned to equally 

 variable animal products, such as bits of skin, nail clippings, horn, feathers, 

 hair, and bone. In this direction the work of Karrenberg (1933) seems to be 

 much the most promising. Using the brain medium of Hibler which was 

 originally developed for anaerobic bacteria, he has maintained stock cultures 

 over very long periods without pleomorphism or loss of virulence. While I 

 have had no personal experience with this medium, it seems so promising that 

 the details of its preparation may be given: 



Brains of recently slaughtered animals (within 24 hours) are freed from 

 the pia mater, ground in a meat chopper and weighed. Two parts water to 

 one of brains are added, rubbed through a sieve, and cooked for two hours 

 in a steam sterilizer. The next day the medium is tubed and sterilized in the 

 autoclave. Hach and Karrenberg both suggest 0.85% sodium chloride solution 

 instead of tap water and Karrenberg found the medium .satisfactory without 

 rubbing through a sieve. 



Independently Grigorakis (1933) has proposed a similar medium based 



on calf spleen. 



Pulp of calf spleen 500 gin. 



Peptone 10 gm. 



Agar 18 gm. 



Water 1000 c.c. 



