YEASTS AND MOLDS 307 



esses is a mixture of Mucor species, yeasts and bacteria. The following 

 species of mucor are prevalent M. racemosus, M. alternans, M. spinosus, M. 

 circinelloides and M. Boidinii. These have the power of converting starch 

 into saccharine compounds, which are then acted upon by the Saccharo- 

 myces. Various alcoholic ferments have been employed in China and 

 Japan since time immemorial. 



Nuclein is prepared from yeast and other vegetable cells and is very 

 much used in the treatment of certain diseases due to pathogenic bacteria. 

 It is said to have strong bacteriolytic properties and to increase 

 phagocytosis. 



TOXIC YEASTS AND MOLDS 



Within recent years numerous outbreaks of cattle poisoning have 

 occurred which have been traced to fodder used. Pammel of the univer- 

 sity of Iowa has gathered numerous reports of occurrences of this kind and 

 he is inclined to lay the blame for many cases of poisoning of this kind to 

 fungi. Several species of Fusarium are mentioned as being responsible for 

 equine diseases. Fusarium equinum Norgaard, is said to cause epidemic 

 itch among horses. Another species is said to cause fatal meningitis in 

 cattle. Pammel reports that sorghum cane fodder is frequently causative 

 of fatal poisoning among cattle. Many cases of epidemic poisoning among 

 cattle have been laid to silage, especially numerous are the case reports 

 from the southern states. Some have suggested that the trouble is due to 

 botulism (fatal poisoning due to a toxin formed by the Bacillus botulinus, 

 the so-called sausage bacillus) . The facts are that most of the cases of 

 poisoning among cattle are inadequately investigated, and hasty con- 

 clusions are often based upon insufficient data. 



A corn silage fungus, the Monascus purpureus, is supposed to be re- 

 sponsible for poisoning. Moldy fodder is universally recognized as being 

 poisonous, but it has not yet been definitely determined which of the 

 several symbionts which usually occur on such fodder, are primarily 

 responsible for the ill effects. Numerous parasitic Saccharomyces have 

 been found, in Daphnids, in horses, in guinea pigs, in pigeons, and in 

 humans. Higher fungi are responsible for skin diseases, etc. It is how- 

 ever, only recently that the toxigenic parasitic yeasts have received any 

 considerable attention. 



It is but natural to suppose that a fungus which has adapted itself 

 to parasitism upon animals, must have undergone extensive physiological 

 as well as morphological adaptation changes, and it is a fact that most of 

 the fungi of this kind are morphologically unrecognizable or unidentifi- 

 able and the tendency is to place them in a separate group, the so-called 

 fungi imperfecti. As a rule they show remarkable life habits and peculiar 



