﻿THE ETIOLOGY OF TRICHOMYCOSIS PALMELLINA IN THE 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



By Otto Schobl 

 {From the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



One plate 



This pathological condition of hair was first described by F. J. 

 Pick in 1875,(1) who considered it to be of microbial origin. 

 It is most frequently restricted to the axillary regions. The 

 disease presents itself as a more or less marked thickening of 

 the individual hair. In the early stage, small nodular thicken- 

 ings of whitish color are to be found on the hair. In the 

 later stage, the thickenings of the hair become confluent and 

 a sheath, evidently of foreign matter, frequently surrounds the 

 hair along its entire length. At this stage, it is more likely 

 to be pigmented than in the early stage. Pasty matter can 

 be easily scraped off the diseased hair. The hair tears easily, 

 and its epilation is scarcely felt by the patient. Partial and 

 temporary loss of hair in the affected region may occur. Besides 

 the typical location in the axillary grooves, the condition has 

 been found in the pubic region. One case of trichomycosis 

 palmellina capilitii was observed by Winternitz. (2) 



The etiology of the disease being early recognized as microbial, 

 investigations were commenced to identify the particular micro- 

 organisms, as well as experimentally to support the theory that 

 the bacteria found to be present on the diseased hair were the 

 actual cause of the condition and not merely casual saprophytes 

 as several authors had claimed. It was not until thorough 

 bacteriological examinations were made that some light was 

 thrown on the question. 



Behrend (3) found a coccus which liquified gelatin, and formed 

 white and yellow colonies when cultivated on agar plates. 

 Eisner (4) describes a Gram-positive coccus which he isolated 

 from a case of trichomycosis. As this coccus showed cultural 

 characteristics similar to those described by Behrend, Eisner 

 considers both microbes as identical. Similar findings were 

 made by Sonnenberg (5) and Colombini (5) the latter author 

 being successful in transmitting the disease. Winternitz (2) found 

 in a case of trichomycosis palmellina capilitii a nonmotile bacillus 

 which showed chromatic granules and formed pronounced involu- 

 tion forms in old cultures. The author believes his bacillus to be 

 different from the microbe isolated from trichorhexis nodosa 

 by Hodara and Spiegler.(6) 



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