ASPERGILLOSIS SPOROTRICHOSIS 541 



more circumscribed. The colour is white or slightly red, and the 

 cultures have a sourish alcoholic smell due to the production of 

 aldehyde, alcohol, and acetic acid; glucose, laevulose, and 

 maltose are slowly fermented. On ordinary media, mycelium 

 and spore production are seen, the former being especially 

 marked in deep colonies. Chlamydospore formation is also 

 stated to occur, and from such elements on a mycelium, free 

 conidia formation takes place. 



ASPERGILLOSIS. 



In 1856, Virchow recorded several cases of affection of the 

 lungs by aspergilli, and a number of similar cases have since 

 been described ; usually there has existed some other disease in 

 the body, and frequently the lung has also been the site of 

 tuberculosis. The appearances presented are those of small grey 

 nodules, composed of necrotic material and leucocytes, breaking 

 down to form cavities associated with areas of broncho-pneumonia, 

 and frequently also with fairly widespread odourless necrosis 

 of the lung. Masses of fructifying mycelia are present in the 

 cavities and extend into surrounding bronchioles and air cells. 

 The condition has usually been discovered post mortem, but in 

 certain cases the fungus has been observed in the sputum during 

 life, and it is probable that a lung condition of this kind can be 

 recovered from. It is stated that a similar affection occurs in 

 birds. It is probable that infection arises from inhalation. The 

 variety of organism chiefly present is the Aspergillus fumigatus 

 (cf. p. 531), which on artificial media gives a greenish-blue colour 

 resembling that of the Penicillium crustaceum. Its optimum 

 temperature is that of blood heat. 



Infections with aspergilli also occur in the external ear as 

 a chronic pustular condition of the epithelium, and aspergillary 

 colonies are also from time to time observed on abrasions of the 

 cornea. 



SPOROTRICHOSIS. t 



In 1898, Schenk, in America, described a case of chronic sub- 

 cutaneous abscesses associated with a fungus belonging to the 

 sporotricha, and during recent years the organism has been 

 isolated from a great many granulomatous conditions occurring 

 in various parts of the world. Most of the cases have been 

 characterised by somewhat heteromorphic and indolent granulo- 

 matous lesions in the skin, resembling those of tuberculosis and 

 syphilis. The initial lesion is at the site of some slight abrasion, 



