Feb., 1921] 
THOM AND CHURCH — ASPERGILLUS 
the exception but the rule in the sake organism in which only occasional 
cultures show only simple sterigmata. In the rice and soy fermentation 
industries of Japan the workman's eyes, ears, nose, throat, and skin abra- 
sions are constantly exposed to Aspergillus spores. Dr. Takahashi and 
Dr. Kita (personal communications), however, report absolutely no infec- 
tions. Our cultures show a wide range of varieties of the Aspergillus flavus 
series to be present. Intravenous injection, doubtless, has vallie in demon- 
strating the possible activity of an organism when so inoculated, or perhaps 
in lesions already established by other agencies, without proving active 
pathogenicity. 
Wreden and Siebenmann use the name A.flavesce?is for organisms found 
in the human ear. Wreden's description lacks essentials for identification 
perhaps, but Lichtheim certainly had an organism of this group from infected 
ears. Siebenmann, using the same name, gives details which definitely 
ally his form with either A . flavus or A . tamari (see discussion of A . tamari 
later). Wilhelm clearly has a sclerotium-producing strain closely allied to 
the material studied by Brefeld. Wehmer, whose organism we have in 
culture, had a different but closely related strain which rarely if ever 
produces sclerotia. Costantin and Lucet^^ appear also to have had but one 
strain of the same series, which they described as A. micro-virido-citrinus. 
Cultural observations limited to single strains in a group varying as widely 
as this may easily lead workers unacquainted with other material to believe 
they have distinct species. When comparison of hundreds of cultures 
from separate sources has bridged the gap between these forms, it is doubtful 
if any effort to maintain such species is desirable. 
There appears to be no valid reason for rejecting the name A. flavus for 
the cosmopolitan organism studied by Brefeld and Wehmer and as tenta- 
tively covering many strains with mino'r variations from such a type. 
A. oryzae, A. parasiticus, and A. effusus are morphologically recognizable 
varieties or species which are certainly closely related to the cosmopolitan 
group of which the organism described by Brefeld and Wehmer and believed 
by them to be A. flavus Link may be called the type. 
In reaching this conclusion, many series of cultures were made with a 
large number of strains selected to represent the widest range of variation 
found in our collection. These cultures included an extensive variety of 
culture media; the bark of Castanea, Liriodendron, Platanus, and Tsuga, 
oatmeal agar with and without sugar, potato plugs, beef extract peptone 
agar, egg albumen, beef plugs, loam, rice, cooked soy beans mixed with 
ground and roasted wheat, Czapek's solution with cerealose instead of 
sucrose. The following paragraphs describe some points observed which 
seem to be worthy of note. 
Czapek with 50 percent saccharose: Twenty-seven strains of Aspergilltis 
flavus grown on Czapek solution agar containing 50 percent saccharose 
grew for all practical purposes the same as if on unmodified Czapek solution 
39 Loc. cit., p. 158. 
