YEAST-LIKE FUNGI OF HUMAN INTESTINAL TRACT 9 



Table 1 gives a numerical summary of the results obtained from the study 

 of samples taken from 175 persons by the methods described. 



TABLE 1 



SUMMARY OF ISOLATIONS OF YEASTS FROM 175 PERSONS EXAMINED 



Total number of persons from whom samples were obtained 175 



Total number of samples plated 229* 



Total number of samples yielding yeasts 85 



Total number of yeast isolations 113f 



Percentage of samples yielding yeasts. 37 



Total number of persons without gastro-intestinal disturbances 98 



Total number of diarrheal cases (exclusive of sprue and pellagra cases) 31 



Total number of uncertain history 27 



Total number of pellagra cases 18 



Total number of sprue cases 1 



Total number of yeast isolations from 98 normal persons 46$ 



Percentage of normal persons yielding yeasts 47 



Total number of yeast isolations from 31 diarrheal patients 13 



Percentage of diarrheal patients yielding yeasts. . . . 45 



Total number of yeast isolations from 18 pellagra patients 4 



Percentage of pellagra cases yielding yeasts 22 



Total number of yeast isolations from 1 sprue patient based on 8 trials 8 



Percentage of yeast isolations in sprue patient (8 trials) 100 



Total number of yeast isolations from 27 unknowns 14 



Percentage of yeast isolations from unknowns 52 



Number of healthy persons showing large numbers of yeasts (10% or more of contacts) 



on first trial 9 



Number of diarrheal patients showing large numbers of yeasts on first trial 



Percentage of sprue patients showing large numbers of yeasts 100|| 



Number of pellagra patients showing large numbers of yeasts 1 



* In several cases a number of samples were taken from the same person at different 

 dates. 



Two or 3 different species frequently occurred on the same plate from 1 person. 



$ A plate containing several species was regarded as a single isolation in this and the 

 following results in the table. 



The high percentage here is due to the fact that some of these isolations were made 

 by others who reported only successful results. In cases which I actually recorded the 

 percentage approached that of the normal persons. 



|| Percentage results are given here since only a single case of sprue was included, but 

 a number of trials proved the uniform presence of yeasts in the feces. 



DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 



The percentage of positive results recorded in Table 1, based on 

 the total number of isolations, is undoubtedly lower than it should 

 be because, in a number of cases, an Oidium lactis type of fungus 

 developed so rapidly as to prevent the growth of yeasts had they 

 been present. In other cases, especially in diarrheal stools, certain 

 slime-forming bacteria developed in spite of the acidity of the medium. 

 Furthermore, the small quantity of feces used for plating would nat- 

 urally reduce the number of positive results. There is little question 

 but that yeasts are present in small numbers in practically all human 

 feces. 



The percentage of positive results from healthy persons and from 

 those with diarrhea is approximately the same. The sprue patient, 

 in 8 recorded trials, yielded over 50% of 'colonies in every plating. 

 Thus the fact that the results were positive in this case is not as 

 significant as finding a very large number in every trial. The pellagra 



