246 SPECIFIC MICRO-ORGANISMS 



children with positive results. His work was confirmed by numer- 

 ous other investigators (1842-43). Robin (1847) accurately 

 described the parasite, with illustrations, classed it as an oidium, 

 and gave it the name Oidium albicans (1853). Grawitz (1877) 

 obtained the first pure cultures and - successfully inoculated rab- 

 bits and puppies with them. 



In the throat lesion as well as in cultures the organism con- 

 sists of mycelial threads and oval yeast-like cells. It grows read- 

 ily on various artificial media and the appearance of the growth is 

 quite variable, not only because of the proportional relation be- 

 tween the oval cells and the threads, but also in pigmentation 

 and in density of growth. Two varieties, one liquefying gelatin 



Pig. 98. — Oidium albicans. Mycelial thread with four ripe chlamydospores; and 

 conidia in the middle of the picture. {After Plant.) 



and producing large (5^1) oval conidia, and the other failing to 

 liquefy gelatin and producing small (2.5/i) spherical conidia are 

 distinguished. 



Thrush is most common on the buccal mucous membrane of 

 young infants, but it also occurs on the vaginal mucosa of preg- 

 nant women, and it may attack others when weakened by dis- 

 ease, especially diabetics. The disease also occurs naturally in 

 birds, calves and foals. The threads of the mold penetrate the 

 squamous epithelium and even enter the subepitheKal tissue, 

 sometimes penetrating blood-vessels and giving rise to metas- 

 tases. It results in ■ death in about 20 per cent of the cases in 

 infants. The predisposing digestive disorder or other primary 

 disease is however, usually more important than the thrush, and 

 demands first consideration in treatment. The thrush lesion may 

 be carefully removed with a soft swab and the eroded area treated 

 with silver nitrate, o.i per cent. Generalization of the disease 



