B RONCHO MO NILIA SIS 



1887 



Geographical Distribution. — The disease is found all over the 

 tropics, especially in places with a damp climate, such as Ceylon 

 and the Malay Peninsula. The affection may be met with also in 

 Europe and America, cases having been recently recorded by Pinoy, 

 lacono, and others. 



.ffitiology. — In Ceylon the malady is generally due to Monilia 

 tropicalis Castellani, 1910. The same fungus may be found in 

 cases coming from South India and the Malay States. It would 

 appear that the fungus is the real cause of the disease, as no other 

 aetiological agents, such as the tubercle bacillus, etc., are found. 

 Moreover, when the patient gets better, the fungus becomes very 

 scanty, or disappears completely. In some cases other species of 

 the fungus may be observed, but it is doubtful whether all of these 



Fig. 773. — Fungus from a Case of Bronchomycosis (Undetermined). 



are really pathogenic. These species are Monilia paratropicalis 

 Castellani, M. pinoyi Castellani, M. guilliermondi Castellani, M, 

 negrii Castellani, M. Candida Castellani, M. nivea Castellani, M, 

 insolita Castellani, M. pseudotropicalis Castellani, M. lacticolor 

 Castellani, M. nitida Castellani, M. lactea Castellani, M. krusei 

 Castellani, and other monilias, among which M. bethaliensis Pijper. 

 For the cultural characters of these species see p. 1079. 



The infection may take place from man to man, and also probably 

 by the fungi living saprophytically in nature. Moniha-like fungi 

 are extremely common in Ceylon in tea-dust, and it is very probable 

 that the so-called ' tea-factory cough ' is a type of moniliasis. 



Symptomatology. — A mild and a severe type of the malady may 

 be distinguished. In the mild type the general condition of the 

 patient is fairly good, there is no fever, and he simply complains of 



