902 Herpes Tonsurans. 



Tricophj^ta megalospora are said to be distinguished in that they form 

 unequal spores, 4 to 6 microns large, arranged in chain-like formation 

 around the hairs, and besides to cause falling out of the hair as a whole, 

 while in cultures the conidia-bearing hyphsB are arranged in clusters. 

 On the other hand the spores of Tricophyta microspora (also called 

 simply microsporum) do not encircle the hair in chain-like masses, but 

 lie (juite irregularly and very close to one another (mosaic-like) ; be- 

 sides they are said to be rather small (2 to 3 microns), of equal size, 

 and the mouldy deposit which they form accompanies the hair for some 

 distance, outside of its sheath; then the hairs break a few millimeters 

 from the surface of the skin, whereupon the affected parts appear as if 

 clipped short ; besides at the points where the hairs break oif club-shaped 

 and brush-shaped hyphae with spores come to view which look like 

 sterigmae. Finally the cultures are supposed to be characterized by 

 crested conidia-bearing hypha?. 



The Tricophyta megalospora were further divided by French authors into sev- 

 eral sul)divisions to which special forms of disease are said to correspond. Thus 

 Tricophyton ectothrix is said to be found exclusively on the surface of the hair 

 roots, Tr. endothrix in their interior, while Tr. endoectothrix is found in 

 both places. The tricophytes occurring in the domestic animals are classed with 

 the Tr. ectothrix or endoectothrix, yet Galli-Valerio found a Tr. endothrix in a calf, 

 which he identified with Tr. Sabouraudi, which is frequently met with in man. The 

 Tr. mentagrophytes penetrates the hair bulljs, causes inflammation and suppuration 

 and, in consecpience, falling out of the hair. The fungus is said to occur frequently 

 in the domestic animals and the Tr. epilans, found by Megnin in cattle and horses, 

 as well as also the Tr. caninum or Tr. felineum are probably identical with it. 

 Besides Matruchot & Da-ssonville distinguish the Tr. equinum, Peeus & Sabouraud 

 the Tr. gypseum granulosum as special varieties of the Tr. mentagrophytes occurring 

 in horses. Tr. flavum causes in horses the formation of bald and dry herpes. 

 Tr. Megnini produces herpes of fowls, while Tr. faviforme s. verrucosum Bodin 

 approaches favus fungus culturally, but produces in horses and asses the clinical 

 forms of herpes. 



Of the Microsporum Audouini which causes in children the Tricophytia 

 capillitii, two varieties are differentiated as occurring in animals, namely Micros- 

 porum Audouini var. equinum and the M. Audouni var. caninum. 



Besides these varieties a fungus described by Matrouchot & Dassonville is 

 classed with the tricophytes viz. the Eidamella spinosa which is characterized 

 chiefly by the formation of perithezia in the cultures and is reported as having 

 produced a herpes-like disease in a dog. 



The views concerning the multiplicity of herpes fungi, which are 

 outlined in the preceding paragraphs, ^vere strenuously contested and 

 the investigations of Kriil, Wiilsch, Maiocchi and IMarianelli proved that 

 the cultural peculiarities of herpes fungi vary too much, according to 

 their origin and age, as Avell as the age and condition of the nutritive 

 medium ; further that the skin lesions vary too much according to the 

 anatomical structure of the parts of the skin attacked, the variable 

 susceptibility of the animals and the variable degree of virulence of the 

 fungus, therefore the establishment of new species of pathogenic skin 

 fungi is not justified. The differentiation of several species of tricophy- 

 ton has therefore been given up recently and the view is generally 

 being adopted that the microsporum and the tricophyton, as also their 

 several forms, represent varieties of the same species of fungi which 

 have accpiired certain constant and characteristic peculiarities. These 

 characteristics have developed under the influence of the vital condi- 

 tions which vary greatly, according to the species of affected animal and 

 according to the condition of the skin ; they may be transmitted to 

 later generations, and on the other hand the fungi may regain their 

 original form by changes in their conditions of growth. 



