2oo8 DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF SPECIAL SENSE 



Ophthalmomycoses. 



Definition. — Diseases of the eye and its adnexa caused by various fungi. 



History. — The word mycosis was introduced by Virchow to signify a disease 

 caused by fungi, being first used for aspergillosis of the lungs. The interest 

 in fungi as causes of disease was first aroused by Gruby, who in 1847 appears 

 to have noticed fungal structures in lachrymal concretions, although he did 

 not publish his observations. Helmbrecht and Robin were the first to actually 

 assign a disease of the eyes to the action of fungi. They observed a fungus, 

 which they called Leptomitus, in a case of conjunctival inflammation asso- 

 ciated with epiphora. In 1854 Graeffe described the fungal nature of 

 lachrymal concretions, and in 1873 Cohn showed that these fungi belonged to 

 the genus Streptothrix [Nocardia). In 1879 Leber discovered the first case of 

 keratomycosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. From this date until com- 

 paratively recently fungi went out of fashion, being replaced by interest in 

 bacteria, but with the revival of interest created largely by Sabouraud eye 

 diseases were again investigated, and in 1906 De Beurmann and Gougerot gave 

 an account of ocular sporotrichosis, and in 1907 Danlos and Blanc of palpebral 

 sporotrichosis, and Morax described a form of keratomycosis caused by 

 Glenospora graphii, and Liegard and Landrieu a form of conjunctivitis due 

 to Nocardia dassonvillei, while in 19 12 Landrieu reviewed the whole subject 

 of ocular mycoses in a singularly able manner. 



Fungi. — The following fungi have been recognized in various diseases of 

 the eye: — 



A. Order Ascomycetes, 



I. Suborder Gymnoacees. 



(a) Family Saccharomycetes. 



(1) Genus Cryptococcus. 



C. dermatitidis Gilchrist and Stokes, 1898. 



(2) Genus Saccharomyces, several species. 

 (&) Family Gymnoasceae. 



(1) Genus Microsporon. 



M. lanosum Sabouraud, 1907. 



(2) Genus Trichophyton. 



T. tonsurans Malmsten, 1845, and other species of the 

 same genus. 



(3) Genus Achorion. 



A. schoenleini hehert, 18^5 



II. Suborder Carpoascees, 



Family Perisporiacese. 

 Genus Aspergillus. 



A. fumigatus Ft esenius, 1 J J 5. 



B. Order Hyphomycetes. 



(i) Genus Nocardia. 



N. hovis Harz, 1877. - 



N . israeliKrnsQ, i8g6. 



N . foersteri Cohn, 1874. 



N, dassonvillei Brocq- Rousseau, 1907, 

 {2) Genus Monilia. 



M. albicans Robin, 1853, and other species of the same genus. 



(3) Genus Glenospora. 



G, ^w^/tM Siebenmann, 1889. 



(4) Genus Sporotrichum. 



S. beurmanni Matruchot and Ramond, 1905. 



Pathogenicity. — The ocular diseases caused by the above fungi may be 

 grouped as follows : — 



