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Some of the biological properties of saline extracts of the mycelia of several species of the Aspergillus genus, namely, A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger, A. nidulans, A. parasitucus and A. glaucus, were studied. Only the extract prepared from A. fumigatus was found to be hemolytic for sheep red blood cells. In contrast, all the extracts with the only exception of that of A. glaucus, had cytotoxic effects on Vero cells. Both, the hemolytic and cytotoxic constituents of the extracts were removable by adsorption with activated carbon. Heating of the extracts at 100 degrees C for 30 minutes also resulted in detoxification. In vivo studies, performed only with detoxified extracts of A. fumigatus, showed these were capable of depleting complement levels in guinea pigs. Complement inactivation was also found to occur in vitro and was cuased by all the extracts tested. Also triggered by the extracts was the conversion of serum C3 but not of purified C3, indicating that other serum factors are essential in the process. Despite the similarity in this respect with cobra venom factor, differences in activity after heating-negative in cobra venom factor-indicate that the complement inactivating substance/s present in the Aspergillus extracts differ from those of the snake product.

The sera from normal subjects gave negative results with the following antigens used in the complement-fixation tests: 1) polysaccharide prepared according toFava Netto's technic; 2) a filtrate of shaked cultures followingAjello et al.'s technic; 3) an aqueous extract of mechanically disrupted yeast cells ofP. brasiliensis.

SummaryStudies have been made on a case of septicaemia produced by a yeast-like fungus classified as Torulopsis glabrata (Anderson). The patient was a girl suffering from “myasthenia gravis”. She presented a mediastinal empyema and pleural effusion following a thymectomy. Antibiotics were administered. Serology revealed a high titre of circulating antibodies to T. glabrata and cross reactions with Candida albicans during the acute phase of the mycosis. The patient was successfully treated with amphotericin B, the titre of circulating antibodies decreasing with improvement of the mycotic condition.

Male guinea-pigs were inoculated by the testicular route with a suspension of chlamydo-arthrospores of the filamentous phase ofC. immitis. The following histopathological changes were observed: voluminous pyocytic foci as well as granulomatous mononuclear reaction was initially observed and granuloma with multinucleated giant cells were seen 20 days after the inoculation. The following changes of the microscopic aspect of the parasite were correlatively registered: the so-called primary infection type of sporangia appear in great number three days after the inoculation. This type of sporangium is characterized by its great diameter up to 98 µ, peripheral endospore formation leaving a large central vacuole which frequently contain residual protoplasm. The endospores are thin walled, polyhedral and get free through an ostiole. Sporangia completely filled with globose endospores (the cystic type of sporangia) with radiate acidophilic formations on the peridial wall were observed in the testicles of the guinea-pigs killed 6 days after the inoculation. Reduction in number and in the size of the parasite were seen after the 20th. day of the inoculation. Radiate formation of the cell wall of the parasite appeared simultaneously with precipitin antibodies and would be the expression of antigen-antibody reaction.

Twelve strains of Nocardia isolated from sputa, bronchial washings and pleural fluids, were studied. The classification was based on the following characteristics: a) acid-fastness; 2) ability to disolve crystals of tyrosine and xantine; 3) hydrolysis of casein; 4) growth in dilute gelatin medium (0.4%) and 5) galactose acidification. Direct cultivation of the clinical material in Czapek liquid culture medium without carbon source and containing a paraffin rod (pariffin-bait technic), as well as the routin T.B. sputum digestion and concentration with NaOH solution followed by its cultivation in Loewenstein's medium, were employed for the isolation of Nocardia. The sensitivity of the strains to tuberculostatic drugs was investigated using the Canetti's method, as was the ability to growth in Sabouraud and lactrimel culture media supplemented with 100 mug/ml of rifamycin. Finally the pathogenicity test was carried out by intraperitoneal and intramuscular inoculation in guinea-pigs. All the strains were classified as Nocardia asteroides. Seven starins were isolated from patiens with lung conditions of no nocardial etiology. The diagnosis of nocardiosis of the lung was demonstrated in the remaining five patiens by microscopical observation of Nocardia in clinical specimens, by the repeated cultures obtained from these materials and, finally, by the fact that an improvement of the clinical symptomatology was obtained by sulfa administration.