Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and Blastomyces dermatitidis are the causative pathogens of serious deep mycoses. Mycological and medical findings of these two fungi are very much alike, except for their budding processes. As an initial step to know the phylogenetic situation of the species, the ubiquinone systems of five respective strains were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Ubiquinone-10 (Q-10) was found to be the major ubiquinone with a minor component of Q-9 in both fungi.

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Serum specimens were collected from 87 patients with bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (57 patients with aspergilloma, 19 with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis {ABPA}, 10 with Aspergillus pneumonia and 1 with bronchial stump aspergillosis) and from 81 control subjects including healthy subjects and patients with several kinds of fungal diseases other than aspergillosis : bronchial asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer, candidemia, cryptococcal meningitis and pulmonary nocardiosis.
The sera were tested for cross-reactions between the extracts of Aspergillus fumigatus and other Aspergillus species (A. flauus, A. candidus, A. niger, A. oryzae and A. terreus) and extracts of four other fungi (Penicillium citrinum, Absidia corymbifera, Pseudallescheria boydii and Rhizopus oryzae) by means of the agar gel double diffusion method (DD).
The antigenic extracts (culture filtrates) used were prepared by shake-culturing each fungal strain, followed by filtration, dialysis and freeze-drying.
No cross-reactions occurred between the extracts of A. fumigatus and other Aspergillus species or other fungi except for A. flauus.
Precipitin tests using the extracts of Aspergillus species other than A. fumigatus should also be performed, and cross-reactivity between the extracts of A. fumigatus and A. flavus must be kept in mind at the time of serodiagnosis of bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

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Monoclonal antibodies were raised against Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus which is an etiological agent of aspergillosis. Male SPF BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with A. fumigatus culture-filtrate or mycelial antigen. Their splenocytes were hybridized with mouse myeloma cells, P3 X 63 Ag 8.653 The hybridoma supernatants were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using A. fumigatus culture-filtrate antigen. Of the 123 hybridoma clones, 27 cell lines secreting antibodies positive for A. fumigatus were obtained. Two of these cell lines were further grown to larger volumes. The monoclonal antibodies obtained were immunoglobulin-M (IgM) antibodies, which were then purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and Mono Q anion exchange chromatography. The purified monoclonal antibodies showed reactivity against the protein constituent of the culture-filtrate antigen.

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The structural effects of sulconazole nitrate on the cell surface of the hyphae of Trichophyton rubrum were studied by low voltage scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy on cells prepared by freeze-replica method.
SEM revealed that the control hyphae that germinated from the micro-conidia grown without drug had highly developed growth showing a smooth surface, straight extensions and consistent width. In contrast, the hyphae from micro-conidia grown with the drug demonstrated structural changes depending on the drug concentration : 1) when MIC of the drug was used, growth of the extensions was inhibited and there were structural changes (wavy, curling and swollen tip); 2) with sub-MIC of the drug there was exfoliation of the hyphal wall and the hyphal surface was wrinkled.
In the specimens fractured by freeze-replica method, the cell membrane was not affected but the cell wall was damaged by the MIC of the drug. This might result in induction of the inhibition of the hyphal growth of T. rubrum.

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The effect of a new imidazole antimycotic, SS717, on the morphology of growing hyphae of Trichophyton mentagrophytes cultures in a liquid medium was investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Hyphal growth in broth was inhibited at the drug concentration of 3.1ng/m/. The most prominent morphological change seen in cultures with relatively low concentrations of the drug was swelling of the tip of hyphae. In ultrathin sections, thickening of the cell wall and accumulation of electron dense granular structures formed within both the wall and cytoplasm were also observed. Alterations of the ultrastructure of intracytoplasmic organelles increased in extent with increasing drug concentration and incubation time. After exposure to 310ng/ ml of SS717 for 48 hours, most of the fungal cells became deteriorated into ghosts in which normal intracellular structures and matrix were lost. On the other hand, the cells exposed to a fungicidal dose (1.5-3.1 μg/ml) of SS717 were led to necrosis with degeneration of intracytoplasmic membrane systems within 6 hours.

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In vitro and in vivo anti-Candida albicans activities of butenafine hydrochloride (KP-363) were studied. The in vitro activity against C. albicans in Sabouraud dextrose broth was markedly influenced by the pH value of the medium. The greatest activity of the drug was achieved at pH 5.0. Under this test condition, the geometric mean MIC of KP-363 against 57 clinical isolates of C. albicans was 27 μg/ml, while it was only slightly active in the pH-unadjusted medium (pH 5.9).
The therapeutic effect of KP-363 on experimental cutaneous candidosis in guinea pigs was almost equal to that of bifonazole, although it was inferior to that of miconazole.

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We report the case of a 43-year-old man with superficial hyperkeratotic candidiasis of the palms. The patient is the owner of a Japanese noodle shop and had been in good health had taken no medication during the preceding year. He has suffered from erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica-like lesions on his left hand for several years. On June, 7, 1989, he visited our hospital because he developed scaly erythema with hyperkeratosis on both palms. The palms exhibited slight erythema with hyperkeratosis and exfoliative scales. Marked maceration with a white horny layer was present in the web spaces and creases of the palms. Isolated organisms from the lesions were identified as Candida albicans (type A). Laboratory studies were within normal ranges. The patient was sensitized with 1% DNCB, and received topical antifungal reagent for 8 weeks. The lesions had almost completely disappeared within 4 weeks, while fungal elements were not detected by direct examination using the KOH method after one week of treatment.
To our knowledge, 14 cases of superficial hyperkeratotic candidiasis of the palms including our patient have been reported in Japan. Six of these developed in patients with severe underlying diseases, while, the remaining 8 cases developed in healthy persons. In these later cases the topical application of an antifungal reagent such as imidazole cream might be quite effective, although this disease have been considered to be refractory.

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We describe a case of ringworm in a 3-year-old female Yorkshire Terrier with a history of chronic pyoderma-like skin lesions. Fungal elements were demonstrated in direct microscopy of the skin scrapings by potassium hydroxide technique, and Trichophyton rubrum was isolated. Histopathologically, periodic acid-Schiff stained sections of the skin biopsy showed fungal hyphae and arthrospores. The isolate grew well at 25 °C on Sabouraud dextrose agar with red pigmentation, but failed to hydrolyse urea; it produced many smooth-walled and slender macroconidia and pyriform microconidia. Further, in vitro mating experiment with Arthroderma simii revealed that this canine strain belonged to “-” mating type. Detailed studies are therefore required to determine the incidence of this anthropophilic dermatophyte in various dermatological disorders of animals.

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Treatments with recombinant human interleukin-1α (IL-1α), tumor necrosis factor a (TNFα) or interferon-α-A/D (IFNα) greatly enhanced the resistance of mice to systemic infection with Candida albicans. IL-1α was the most active of these three cytokines, followed by IFNα and TNFα. IL-1α was more active when treatment was begun before the infection. In contrast, IFN was most effective when given within 24 hrs before or after C. albicans challenge, while the anti candidal activity of TNFα was maximal when administered after infection. Analyses of the effectors which are active in the resistance induced by IL-1α treatment indicated the important role of macrophages.

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