A total of 290 Candida isolates from patients were investigated for in vitro proteinase production. Overall, sixty percent of these strains were found to be proteinase producers. Of the C. albicans strains, 81.4% of the significant isolates in contrast to 19.7% of nonsignificant isolates were proteinase producers, the difference being statistically significant (P less than 0.001). Amongst the different Candida species, the proteinase production was found not only in Candida albicans, but also in C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata. Thus this in vitro method of demonstration of proteinase may be a good adjunct to smear and culture examination in identifying pathogenic Candida species from anatomical sites where they can also be present as commensals.

Five hundred conjunctival swabs, from 150 males and 100 females with no history of ocular infections, were collected and cultured for the isolations of fungi. Eighty (16%) of the total specimens yielded positive fungal isolations. The isolation rate was more from the males than the females subjects. Mycelial fungi were predominant than the yeast organisms. Aspergillus species were the commonest isolates with A. flavus taking the lead in the isolations being positive 16 of the total 24 Aspergillus species isolated. A variable rate of fungal isolations was observed in different months of the year. The percentage of the isolations increases after the local use of Efcorlin-N. Nineteen of the 20 eyes studied did not yield the same fungal species in the repeated samples.

A total of 854 patients (640 children and 214 adults) admitted with acute or chronic diarrhoea suspected of non-invasive overgrowth of fungi in intestine were screened during a period of 3 years. Fungal proliferation was noted in 54.8% of these patients (53.6% in children, 58.4% in adults). The predominant fungal species isolated were Candida albicans (64.5%), followed by C. tropicalis (23.3%) C. krusei (6.9%). Torulopsis glabrata (1.6%). Trichosporon sp. and Geotrichum sp. were found to be responsible in 2.3% of adults. As seen in bacterial diarrhoea, higher incidence was noted in children from April to August. No such seasonal variation was noted in adults.

Ninety-six patients with clinical evidence of interdigital lesions classified as mild, moderate and severe athlete's foot were investigated for bacterial and fungal populations in the interspaces. Gram-negative bacteria, which were not found in the toe spaces of 50 normal controls, were grown in increasing numbers and with increasing frequency as the symptoms progressed from mild to severe. Gram-positive bacteria were also isolated regularly and in increasing numbers commensurate with the severity of the disease. Similarly the isolation rates of dermatophytes and Candida species were higher in patients with moderate and severe disease compared to those with mild disease. Clinical and culture responses to topical applications with framycetin, tolnaftate, miconazole and clotrimazole were also studied. In some patients the prevalence of pathogenic fungi increased as bacterial numbers decreased. The pure antibacterial framycetin brought symptomatic relief, as did the purely anti-dermatophyte substance tolnaftate, but best results were seen with two azole compounds having mixed antibacterial and antifungal properties.

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