Experimental studies on an imported mycosis, coccidioidomycosis

免疫球虫是球孢子菌病的病原体，球孢子菌病是所有真菌感染中最严重的疾病，在日本被认为是一种输入性真菌病。我们获得了日本文部省的科学研究助学金，用于研究真菌和疾病，为期两年。主要研究结果如下：1.对该真菌的形态、生长速率和耐热性进行了研究。此外，我们还成功地区分了线虫和线虫。用琼脂植入法观察虫体在体内的形态变化。因此，该方法是一种有用的球体的演示方法。借助于扫描电子显微镜，研究了在体内将隐孢子虫节孢子转化为内孢子球体的过程。根据这一观察结果，详细阐明了寄生虫在体内的寄生循环。用组织病理学方法研究了虫体对毛滴虫感染的组织反应。组织反应与球体的发育阶段密切相关。对节孢子的反应很弱，接种到小鼠体内的节孢子在组织中存活。幼小球体(内孢子)的组织病理学特征为明显的化脓性炎症反应，而成熟球体为肉芽肿性炎性反应。我们成功地诊断了一位最近从美国回来的球孢子菌病患者。

Coccidioides immitis is the causetive agent of coccidioidomycosis which is the severest disease of all the mycotic infections, and it is feared in Japan as an imported mycosis. We were given 'Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research' from the Japanease Education Ministry for studying the fungus and the disease for 2 years. The results obtained are as follows:1. We clarified the morphology, growth rate and thermotolerance of the fungus. In addition, we succeeded in differentiating C.immitis from Malbranchea.2. The morphological conversion of C.immitis in vivo was observed using the agar-implantation method. As a result, the method is a useful for the demonstration of spherules of C.immitis.3. The process involved in the in vivo conversion of the arthroconidia of C.immitis into endosporulating spherules was studied with the aid of a scanning electron microscope. Due to this observation, the parasitic cycle of C.immitis in vivo was clarified in detail.4. The tissue responses against C.immitis infection were investigated histopathologically. The tissue responses closely related to the developmental stages of spherules. The responses against arthroconidia were verey weak so that the arthroconidia inoculated into mice survived in the tissue. The histopathological features against young spherules (endospores) were a marked purulent inflammatory reaction and those against mature spherules, a granulomatous inflammatory one.5. We succeeded in diagnosing a patient with coccidioidomycosis who recently had returned from the United States.