Studies on the Parasitic Forms of Sporotrichum schenckii in scales and crusts (I)

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the parasitic forms of Sporotrichum schenckii in scales and crusts. The patient is a 1 year-old male infant, who admitted to the Narashino National Hospital for the treatment of head-trauma.About 6 months ago, a papule appeared on the right cheek, and after that new papule grew by one. They spreaded slowly and now there are two scaly rashes (7×6mm and 4×4mm) with crusts on the center of the cheek. As scales were removed by a pair of tweezers, the lesions showed erosion.The patient was not rteated for this disease to date, and family history and laboratory findings were not paticular.Several scales and crusts were examined with 20% potasium hydroxide microscopically, and many fungous elements were found. They were classified into two groups; yeast like shape and filamentous.The cells which showed the former group varied greatly in size and shape; spherical, ovoidal, ellipsoidal, clavate, broad bean shaped, racket shaped and so on, occuring singly, in pairs, small groups or short chains. They measured 2-40μ in length. Occasionally, septa, nucleus, ring or sediment was observed in them. Furthermore, there were a few cells which resembled Hulle cells of Aspergillus nidulans or Aspergillus ustus.In the latter one there were long slender hyphae (about 1μ in width), short thick hyphae, and ones with the enlargement of intercalary or terminal cells. The cells had thick walls and were characterized by considerable variation in size and shape nevertheless the walls of hyphae was thin. On the other hand, a few beads shaped filaments were observed.For cultures two kinds of slants were employed. One was Sabouraud's glucose agar slant and the other Sabouraud's glucose agar supplemented with actidione (0.5mg per ml) and chloramphenicol (0.05mg per ml). Three slants were used for each medium. Scales and crusts were inoculated on each slant and incubated at room temperature. After 4 days many small and white colonies grew on all slants. After 7 days the surface of them became moist, wrinkled and membraneous. The color was black. Microscopically, the delicate, branching, septate hyphae were observed, and they beared spherical or pyriform microconidia laterally, or in groups from the ends of lateral branches. The microconidia were about 2-5μ in diameter.The yeast like phase of it could be obtained on brain-heart infusion agar supplemented with 1% glucose after incubation for 7 days at 37°C.The isolated fungus was determined Sporotrichum schenckii. The growth of other fungus was never recognizable within 45 days except a few colonies of Staphylococcus epidermidis.