NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE PATHOGENIC MOLD TRICHOPHYTON INTERDIGITALE

Although, since the classical work of SABOURAUD, a number of investigations have been conducted dealing with the culturing of the Trichophyta and other pathogenic fungi (2, 3), very little information of a definite chemical nature is available regarding the nutritional requirements of these organisms. For this reason the writers have made an exhaustive study of these requirements in Trichophyton interdigitale. Peptone, or some such material of indefinite and unknown composition, has always played an important role in the nutrient medium used. Lack of critical information and possible usefulness in the study of disease-producing activities prompted this investigation. The specificity of this organism and others for certain types of skin or for certain regions on the body is often striking and the writers assume that it must have some nutritional basis. Experimentation