112 MEDICAL MYCOLOGY 



Key to Pathog-enic Species 



Growth good at ordinary temperature 



Spores mostly spherical, SA/x. in diameter; columella usually somewhat spinescent 



A. corymbifera 

 Spores elongate or oval, 4-5x2-3/^; columella smooth A. ramosa 



Growth poor at ordinary temperature, optimum about 37° C. 



Sporangia 36-70^, columella 60^, spores ovoid 4x2-3ja; some growth at 51° C. 



A. Truchisi 

 Sporangia 30-38ai, columella 26/x, spores 3.2x3.75;U,; no growth at 51° C. 



A. Begnieri 



Absidia corymbifera (Cohn) Saccardo & Trotter in Saccardo, Sylloge 

 Fungorum 23: 825, 1912. 



Mucor corymbifer Cohn in Lichtheim, Zeitschr. Klin. Med. 7: 147, Pis. 6-8, 

 1884; Barthelat, Ann. Parasitol. 7: 25-30, 1904. 



Lichtheimia corymbifera Vuillemin, C. R., Acad. Sei. Paris 136: 516, 1903. 



Mucor corymbifera var. typica LicJitheimi Lucet & Costantin, Arch, de 

 Parasitol. 4: 380, 1901. 



Absidia Lichtheimi Lendner, Mat. Fl. Cryptog. Suisse 3: 143, 144, 1908. 



Many cases in the literature dealing with bronchomycosis (Paltanf 1885, 

 etc.). Lang & Grabauer (1923) discuss the clinical and pathologic aspects 

 fully and summarize earlier cases. This fungus has also been reported from 

 the ear by Huckel 1884, Siebenmann 1889, and Graham 1890. 



Mycelium white, then clear gray, completely covering the substrate; 

 hyphae often up to 15/x in diameter, branched, hyaline under microscope. 

 Sporangiophores resupinate, branching as a corymb, terminated by sporangia, 

 occasionally a few small sporangia on short pedicels. Sporangia hyaline, 

 pyriform up to lO/x in diameter with mean 45-60/x, small sporangia 10-20'/^, 

 wall hyaline, smooth, diffluent, often with a basal collar; columella hemispheric, 

 10-20/x, smooth or sometimes papillate, smoke-gray or brownish continuous 

 with the infundibuliform apophysis, spores nearly spherical 2-4/t, smooth, 

 hyaline, occasionally up to 6ju,. 



Growth has been reported good on moist bread, potato, carrot, sugar media 

 with slightly acid reaction, and Sabouraud agar; growth poor in liquid media; 

 unfavorable conditions of humidity or lack of oxygen cause abundant pro- 

 duction of gemmae; growth possible at 12-15°, optimum 36°, killed at 55° C. 



Absidia italiana (Costantin & Perin) Dodge, comb. nov. 



Lichtheimia italiana Costantin & Perin. Bull. Soc. Med. Chir. di Pavia 

 35: 1922. 



Lichtheimia italica Pollacci & Nannizzi I miceti patogeni dell'uomo e degli 

 animali 3: No. 26, 1924; Perin, Arch, di Clin, e Patol. Med. 2: 5, Oct., 1923; 

 Trattato Micopatol. Umana 1: 55-73, 1925. 



I have been unable to locate any of the original descriptions of this organ- 

 ism. Some have reduced it to synonymy with A. corymbifera. The following 

 notes are based on Perin (1925). 



