Summary
Adult albino mice (SPF) were inoculated intraperitoneally with 106 strains of saprophytic filamentous Ascomycetes and Fungi imperfecti, and the animals were autopsied 6 to 14 weeks after inoculation. On gross examination, they exhibited frequent granulomatous lesions on liver, omentum and mesentery, diffuse lesions on liver and spleen, and splenomegaly; less frequent were adhesions of visceral organs. Short hyphae, intact spores and budding yeast‐like cells of the fungi were observed in many lesions. Numerous fungal strains were recultered from liver and spleen as late as 2 or 3 months after inoculation, and a correlation was ascertained between the ability of the fungi to grow at 37d̀ C in vitro, to survive several weeks in the mouse peritoneal cavity, and to cause visceral lesions.
Zusammenfassung
Weiβe Labormäuse (SPF) wurden mit 106 Stämmen von saprophytären myzelbildenden Ascomycetes und Fungi imperfecti intraperitoneal inokuliert, und die Tiere wurden nach 6 bis 14 Wochen getötet. Häufige pathologische Veränderungen waren granulomatose Läsionen auf Leber, Omentum, Mesenteriuni, auch diffuse Granuloinatosen der Leber und Milz mit Splenomegalie; nicht so häufig waren Adhäsionen der viszeralen Organe. Mikroskopish wurden in den Herden kurze Hyphen, intakte Sporen und sproβpilzartige Zellen von manchen Pilzarten beobachtet. Zahlreiche Pilze wurden aus Leber und Milz nach 2 oder 3 Monaten p. i. rekultiviert. Die Fähigkeiten der Pilze, (a) ihr Wachstum bei 37° C in vitro, (b) ihr Überleben für einige Wochen in der Bauchhöhle der Mäuse und (c) die Entwiddung einer v. a. peritonealen Granulomatose bei Mäusen wurden korreliert.
In mycological practice, pure cultures of saprophytic fungi are often isolated from human and animal mycotic lesions but it is sometimes very uncertain whether these fungi are causative agents of the disease examined. However, the number of reports has increased considerably in last few years concerning the pathogenic role of some fungi considered formerly to be saprophytes. These fungi are capable of producing lesions or to cause generalized infections usually under certain circumstances only, and they are therefore called potentially pathogenic or “opportunistic” fungi. Characteristic permissive factors of the tissue invasions with those fungi include, e.g., prolonged therapy with corticosteroids, other immunosuppressive drugs, cytostatics or antibiotics, surgery, X‐irradiation, various diseases of reticulo‐endothelial system, malignant haemopathy, immunoalteration of the host, endocrinopathy and diverse primary infections (bacterial, viral) or parasite invasions (for a very comprehensive review, see 6).