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THE PARASITIC HYPOMYCETES 



By some observers classi- 

 fied with Ascomycetes 

 by others with Hypo- 

 mycetes, 



probably 

 identical 



The parasite Aspergillus bouffardi found by Bouffard in cases of mycetoma 

 in Djibouti and India is apparently identical with Madurella mycetomi. These 

 parasites have not yet been grown in artificial culture. 



[Classification of the parasites of mycetoma.] 



[1. Species of Ascomycetes, - Sterygmatocystis nidulans 



Nicolle's white mycetoma. 



(Aspergillus bouffardi 

 I Bouffard's black mycetoma. 

 1 Madurella mycetomi 

 \ Classical black mycetoma. 

 Indiella mansoni 



Brumpt's white mycetoma. 

 Indiella reynieri 



Reynier's white mycetoma. 

 Indiella somaliensis 



Bouffard's white mycetoma. 



(Discomyces madurce 



Vincent's white mycetoma. 

 Discomyces bovis 



Actinomycotic mycetoma. 

 [2. Species of Hypomycetes, - - -j Discomyces freeri 



Musgrave and Clegg's white 

 mycetoma. 



Discomyces brasiliensis 

 Lindenberg's white mycetoma. 



[3. Micrococcus pelletieri, - The red mycetoma.] 



XII. DISCOMYCES MINUTISSIMUS. 



Syn. Microsporum minutissimum. 



The parasite of erythrasma was described by Burchardt under the name 

 Microsporum minutissimum. This parasite should be placed among the 

 Oosporidse as a species of the genus Discomyces. 



Detection. The same methods are available for the detection of D. minutis- 

 simus as will be described for M alas sezia furfur. Sabouraud recommends the 

 following technique. Treat the scales with ether, then with glacial acetic 

 acid, wash in absolute alcohol, stain with Unna's blue, carbol-thionin or 

 Gram's stain, pass through alcohol and xylol and mount in balsam. 



Microscopical appearance. The parasite, which is present in considerable 

 numbers in the corneal layer of the epidermis, consists of a long, delicate, 

 wavy, tangled and branched mycelium, divided into segments which are 

 arranged end to end and often separated from one another in such a way as 

 to resemble bacilli : the filaments occasionally end in a cluster of very small 

 rounded spores. 



Cultures. According to De Michele, D. minutissimus grows easily on 

 ordinary media, producing on gelatin a brownish, and on potato a wine-red 

 layer of growth. Man can be inoculated with cultures if the skin be first 

 scratched with a lancet. Ducrey and Reale dispute De Michele's conclusions : 

 they consider that the cultures used by that observer were not cultures of the 

 parasite of erythrasma at all. In their opinion D. minutissimus grows with 



