Biomaterial Database

Acid-fastness of fungi in blastomycosis and histoplasmosis. 1982

D S Wages, and D J Wear

In 60% of the infections caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis and in 47% of the infections caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, some of the organisms are acid-fast in tissue sections. Treatment with 1N hydrochloric acid at 60 degrees C abolishes the acid-fastness of H capsulatum, which indicates that the acid-fastness may be related to mycolic acid. Organisms of B dermatitidis, however, remain acid-fast in 83% of the sections treated with acid. The presence of acid-fastness in small cells can aid in the differentiation of B dermatitidis and H capsulatum from Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, Persistent acid-fastness of organisms after treatment with heated acid helps identify B dermatitidis in tissue sections, especially when the strain is small or in other ways atypical.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D001758	Blastomyces	A genus of onygenacetous mitosporic fungi whose perfect state is Ajellomyces (see ONYGENALES). The species Blastomyces dermatitidis (perfect state is Ajellomyces dermatitidis) causes blastomycosis.	Ajellomyces dermatitidis,Blastomycoides dermatitidis,Blastomyces dermatitidis
D001759	Blastomycosis	A fungal infection that may appear in two forms: 1, a primary lesion characterized by the formation of a small cutaneous nodule and small nodules along the lymphatics that may heal within several months; and 2, chronic granulomatous lesions characterized by thick crusts, warty growths, and unusual vascularity and infection in the middle or upper lobes of the lung.	Blastomycosis, North American,Gilchrist Disease,Gilchrist's Disease,Blastomycoses,Gilchrists Disease,North American Blastomycosis
D006658	Histoplasma	A mitosporic Onygenales fungal genus causing HISTOPLASMOSIS in humans and animals. Its single species is Histoplasma capsulatum which has two varieties: H. capsulatum var. capsulatum and H. capsulatum var. duboisii. Its teleomorph is AJELLOMYCES capsulatus.	Ajellomyces capsulatus,Cryptococcus capsulatus,Emmonsiella capsulata,Histoplasma capsulatum,Histoplasmas
D006660	Histoplasmosis	Infection resulting from exposure to the fungus HISTOPLASMA.	African Histoplasmosis,Disseminated Histoplasmosis,Histoplasma duboisii Infection,Pulmonary Histoplasmosis,Histoplasma Infection,Histoplasma capsulatum Infection,Histoplasma Infections,Histoplasma capsulatum Infections,Histoplasma duboisii Infections,Histoplasmosis, African,Histoplasmosis, Disseminated,Histoplasmosis, Pulmonary,Infection, Histoplasma,Infection, Histoplasma capsulatum,Infection, Histoplasma duboisii
D013194	Staining and Labeling	The marking of biological material with a dye or other reagent for the purpose of identifying and quantitating components of tissues, cells or their extracts.	Histological Labeling,Staining,Histological Labelings,Labeling and Staining,Labeling, Histological,Labelings, Histological,Stainings