CHAPTER XLVII 

 MONILA 



Monila resemble Oidium (endomyces) albicans and are closely related. 

 When first described as a separate genus the distinguishing characteristic of 

 monila was stated to be the absence of ascosporulation. 



Based on variations in effect on litmus milk, gelatin, the carbohydrates and 

 agglutination reactions, many species have been recognized in recent years. 

 Castellani has isolated and described the following : monila intestinalis, monila 

 faecalis, monila insolita and monila tropicalis all obtained from the saliva, 

 scrapings from the tongue or feces of patients afflicted with sprue of which 

 disease he does not believe they are the cause. Bahr also has recovered an 

 organism, described as monila albicans, from the tongue and feces of sprue 

 patients and he believes it the cause of their disease. 



In scrapings from the tongue, in the saliva and feces of patients having sprue, 

 Ashford has regularly found a monila that in its parasitic state has the same 

 morphology as oidium albicans, that produces mycelia but does not reproduce 

 by ascospores in its vegetative state, that forms gas and acid in glucose, levulose 

 and maltose and does not form gas but acidulates saccharose and galactose 

 media; it does not liquefy gelatin or blood serum and does not coagulate milk but 

 makes it alkaline. This organism is pathogenic for rabbits and is believed by 

 Ashford to be the cause of sprue. He believes the infection may be conveyed 

 to man by bread and states in reference to primary diagnostic cultures, "I 

 consider this medium as specific for monila as Loeffler's blood serum mixture 

 is for the bacillus diphtherias" meaning Sabouraud's glucose agar (4 per cent, 

 glucose) having a reaction of +2. 



A reported case of pulmonary moniliasis has been observed in the Johns 

 Hopkins Hospital. 



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