螢光抗体法による白癬菌およびカンジダ混合感染の証明

AN APPLICATION OF THE FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE TO MIXED INFECTION CAUSED BY TRICHOPHYTON AND YEAST

　浅在性皮膚真菌症の原因菌としては，白癬菌およびカンジダがそのほとんどを占めている。この場合1種類の菌が皮膚角層に寄生するのが普通であるが，時に同一個体の異なる部位に，2種以上の白癬菌，さらには白癬菌とカンジダが重複して感染することがある。まれではあるが2種以上の菌が同一部位に混合して感染することも認められている。これまで混合感染の証明法としては，単に菌の分離培養によつていたにすぎず，これには避け得ない欠点を伴うものであった。

　今回，白癬菌とカンジダとの混合感染を証明するにあたり，初めて螢光抗体法を応用してみた。その結果，本法により迅速かつ確実に両菌の混合感染を証明することができたので，ここに報告する。

Although the concomitant infections of the candida and trichophyton on the different parts of the skin are not uncommon, the mixed infection of the two organism on the same part is rare. Because the KOH test is unsatisfactory for the proof of the latter, the culture method has been employed. The authors applied the fluorescent antibody technique for this. As this method can detect and identify the infecting organisms in situ, it has several advantages as follows : no problem of contaminations, the possible observations of parasitic forms and conditions, and the shortening of time for diagnosis etc. With this method, however, further details on determination of their species or strains were difficult to be obtained.

The authors reported a 23-year-old woman who had been suffering from turbid nails of the fingers and toes for several years. The smears were taken from the affected nail of the left thumb after the KOH treatment, which were stained with the two kinds of fluorescent antibodies for the candida and trichophyton. The mixed infection of the two fungi was proved with this method, and the trichophyton rubrum and candida albicans were cultured on the medium of the same tube.