1993 Volume 34 Issue 2 Pages 121-126
A brief historical review is presented of visceral mycoses reported in official journals of the Japanese Pathological Society from 1914 to 1992. Before 1950, most of the visceral mycoses were actinomycosis. Since 1950, candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis and mucormycosis have been described sopradically, and most of them were regarded as rare diseases, difficult to diagnose clinically, and nearly impossible to treat. A nationwide statistical survey on deep fungal infections in Japanese pathological autopsy cases was first taken in 1958, and has been taken continuously since then. In order to establish objective means for the determination of pathogenic fungi in infected tissues, the author had carried out precipitin reaction using heated tissue extract as antigen, fluorochromic study with the application of fluorescent microscopy, and investigations with fluorescent antibody technic. Most of them indicated fairly well results. During the past 20 to 30 years, a number of investigations on the pathogenesis of opportunistic fungal infections have also been conducted. It is my opinion that important subjects to be accomplished in the future are (1) development of new technology for more specific and sensitive diagnosis in the early phase of an infection, (2) development of more ideal and more effective antifungal drugs, and (3) establishment of prophylactic measures including vaccine. As a pathologist, I would like to suggest the importance of determining the fungal morphology in infected tissue using high magnification (×1, 000), which will open a new and valuable field.
