640 INFECTION AND IMMUNITY. 



Cultures of the organism show differences in 

 size, morphology, chemical activities and methods 

 of proliferation, although the variations are hardly 

 so wide as those found among the fungi cultivated 

 from cases of tff blastomycosis." 



systemic Although thrush usually is considered a rather 

 harmless affection, Virchow long ago showed that 

 its filaments may penetrate the submucous tissues 

 and even the lumens of blood vessels. In rare in- 

 stances systemic infection, with abscesses in the 

 brain, kidney and spleen or with nodules in the 

 lungs, has been noted; in these cases the condi- 

 tions resemble those found in systemic "blastomy- 

 cosis." 



The healthy person has little or no susceptibility 

 to thrush, although a few cases of infection have 

 been noted in individuals who were otherwise nor- 

 mal. Customarily it attacks only those who are 

 in a low state of vitality, as poorly nourished chil- 

 dren or those in advanced age, or those whose re- 

 sistance is much lowered by some other disease (ty- 

 phoid, diabetes, etc.). 

 Phagocytosis Phagocytosis of yeast and oidium-like cells takes 



and I mm ii- 1,1 1 n JA. t, J ' i 



nity. place when they are placed in the abdominal cav- 

 ity of experiment animals (guinea-pigs). A num- 

 ber of leucocytes may fuse to form a plasmodial 

 mass around one or more of the parasitic cells. 

 Eoger and Noisette caused an increase in the re- 

 sistance of rabbits to thrush infection by the intra- 

 venous injection of small doses of the parasite. Ac- 

 cording to Noisette, an immune serum agglutinates 

 only the strain used in the immunization. 



Infections of other animals (horses, cattle) by 

 oidium-like organisms, the trichophyton and other 

 fungi which cause superficial diseases in the skin 



