106 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN STUDIES 



to Sporotrichum beurmanni, indeed identical with certain pleo- 

 morphic forms of the latter. They make the significant state- 

 ment in this connection: "Plusieurs de ses pleomorphismes 

 s'identifient an Sporotrichum Schenki et au Sporotrichum 

 Beurmanni, voire meme an Sporotrichum Gougeroti. Cette 

 unification dans les plepmorphismes est la meillenre preuve 

 d'une commune origine de ces germes. " Their position seems 

 to be that this organism, the American organism Sporo- 

 iriclntm schenokii, and the Sporotrichum beurmanni were 

 originally one and the same organism, and certain strains 

 later developed pleomorphic characteristics leading to new 

 varieties. 



A new pathogenic Sporotrichum, Sporotrichum councilmans, 

 described very recently by Wolbach, Sissoii and Meier- of 

 Boston was found in a cnse of acnte arthritis of the knee 

 following injury. From their description it appears quite 

 different from all other strains of Sporotricha. They 

 summarize the distinguishing features as follows: "(1) 

 its pleomorphic growth, characterized by a free aerial growth 

 of hyphae; (2) the abundant spore formation, large size of 

 the spores and absence of lateral spore clusters, and (3) the 

 occurrence in lesions as septate, branching filaments/' The 

 last character is especially significant. The clinical history 

 and the character of the lesion in the patient are also of in- 

 terest and are possibly of importance for differential purposes. 



For the purpose of this paper 1 think we may eliminate 

 Sporotrichum dori as being quite different from the other 

 sporotrlcha; also Sporotrichum councilmaui. The very rare 

 cases of so called Sporotrichum indicum, Sporotrichum jean- 

 selmei and Sporotrichum youyeroti are much more closely re- 

 lated to Sporotrichum beurmanni, the first two indeed being 

 probably identical with it. The existence of these very rare 

 varieties is here recognized but this fact is only indirectly re- 

 lated to the main question at issue h^re, namely, the possible 

 identity of the organisms causing sporotrichosis as commonly 

 observed in America and in France. 



In the further analysis of this question it will be desirable 



-Journal of Medical Research, 36, p. 337, 1917. 



