Abstract
It is generally believed that iodides are almost specific in their favorable influence upon the course of various mycoses, notably sporotrichosis, aspergillosis, “blastomycosis,” and actinomycosis. There can be no question about the value of iodides in sporotrichosis, but concerning the other mycoses reports are not so uniform. It is generally believed, however, that the iodides may cure actinomycosis, particularly in cattle. 1
Some of the fungi are not virulent for lower animals, and most of the others rapidly lose their virulence when cultivated, so that little experimental work has been done. Renon 2 found that Aspergillus fumigatus grew in culture media containing as much as 10 per cent. of potassium iodide; but that inoculated rabbits treated by subcutaneous injections of the salt did not die until 26 and 32 days after infection, whereas the control died in 4 days. Davis 3 found that in experimental sporotrichosis the injection of iodides previous to or simultaneous with inoculation had no inhibiting effect on the course of the disease; but when administered after the infection is under way, the lesions heal. He also found that Sporotrichum would grow in media containing considerable quantities of iodide.
Henrici and Gardner 4 have isolated from a case of pulmonary infection a variety of Actinomyces very similar to but not quite identical with A. asteroides Eppinger, which they named A. gypsoides. This fungus is very virulent for guinea pigs, and has maintained its virulence quite unaltered for several years. It is an acid-fast variety quite different from A. bovis, and there are no clinical reports of the use of iodides in this type of actinomycosis. Nevertheless, because of its constant virulence it is admirably suited for chemotherapeutic experiments, and it was thought desirable to see what influence iodides would have on the course of the infection in guinea pigs.
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