Studies on pathogenic dematiaceous fungi, II. Pathogenicity of Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Phialophora verrucosa for laboratory mice.

Summary: The pathogenicity of one isolate each of F. pedrosi and P. verrucosa was investigated for normal and cortisone treated mice by several routes of inoculation with saline and mucin suspensions of the organisms. There were very few mortalities. In mice inoculated intraperitoneally and intravenously, lesions occurred in the form of multiple greyish white or brownish nodules on the liver, spleen kidney, intestine, stomach, omentum and the diaphragm. Lungs were affected only in mice inoculated intravenously. Lesions in heart and brain were not observed in any of the animals. Lesions were relatively more extensive in cortisone administered mice and in normal mice inoculated with mucin suspension. In the latter group of animals, membranous adhesions were also observed. Subcutaneous and intramuscular inoculation produced transistory abscesses and swellings at the sites of injection.