[Dermatological findings in the annual examination of the patients with Yusho in 1989-1990].

We reported the skin symptoms of the patients with Yusho in the 1989 and 1990 annual examinations. We also studied the alteration of the skin symptoms in 33 patients followed up for 14 years (1977-1990). Most of these patients showed obvious improvement in their skin symptoms during 12 years (1977-1988). However, a remarkable improvement was not observed in recent 3 years and approximately 40% of the patients still had comedones and/or acneiform eruptions.

[Dermatological findings in the annual examination of the patients with yusho in 1987-1988--with special reference to the alteration of the skin symptoms in the patients followed up for 20 years].

We reported on the skin symptoms of the patients with yusho in the 1987 and 1988 annual examinations. We also studied the alteration of the skin symptoms in the patients followed up for 20 years. These patients showed obvious improvement in their skin symptoms during these 20 years. However, about a half of the patients still had comedones and/or acneiform eruptions, although the number of eruptions had decreased. The cases with blood PCB pattern A (typical yusho pattern) demonstrated higher skin severity grading points than those of the other groups (patterns B and C), but even in these cases the skin eruptions had improved.

Chronic dermatophyte infection: evaluation of the Ig class-specific antibody response reactive with polysaccharide and peptide antigens derived from Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum antibodies within Ig classes IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE against two partially purified Trichophyton mentagrophytes-derived antigens: polysaccharide (SAC) and peptide (PEP). Sera from 27 chronically infected adults, 16 normal noninfected adults, and 17 noninfected children were evaluated. All sera were reactive, indicating that circulating antibody reactive to PEP and SAC is a feature common to most people, regardless of age and the presence of active infection. The reactivity to SAC was much greater than to PEP. Inhibition assays revealed that components of PEP are found in SAC. Chronically infected adults showed slightly elevated IgG and IgA reactivity to both SAC and PEP compared with noninfected normal adults. This elevated reactivity correlated with the extent (% surface affected) of cutaneous infection. IgE antibody reactivity was detected only against SAC and was somewhat elevated in chronically infected adults. There was no association between antibody reactivity and immunoglobulin level or between the individual subject's level of antibody reactivity to PEP and SAC.

Antigenic relationships among Cladosporium species of medical importance.

We analyzed the exoantigens of 54 isolates belonging to the pathogenic Cladosporium species. Cladophialophora ajelloi was found to be antigenically identical to Cladosporium carrionii. All human and cat isolates of C. bantianum and C. trichoides were found to share the same antigens. Although cross-reactions were observed among the four species of Cladosporium: C. carrionii, C. bantianum, c. herbarum, and C. cladosporioides they were identified and differentiated specifically with four monospecific factor sera obtained through absorption procedures. The exoantigen serologic procedure also permitted us to identify cultures of these four Cladosporium spp. within 8 days.

The relationship of Cladosporium carrionii to Cladophialophora ajelloi.

Twelve of 21 isolates of Cladosporium carrionii, when grown on nutritionally deficient media such as lactrimel agar, hay infusion agar, diluted corn meal dextrose agar, and water agar, produced urniform phialides and phialoconidia identical with those produced by two isolates of Cladophialophora ajelloi. All isolates of C. carrionii and Cph. ajelloi hydrolyzed urea in 7 days, but failed to liquefy gelatin. The decomposition of casein, xanthine, hypoxanthine, and tyrosine was found to be of no diagnostic value because of the variable results given by the isolates of C. carrionii. None of the C. bantianum isolates or commonly encountered saprophytic species of Cladosporium, such as C. cladosporioides and C. herbarum, showed the ability to form phialides on any of the media tested. Because of the identical nature of the two synanamorphs of Cph. ajelloi, namely the Cladosporium-type and the Phialophora-type, with those of C. carionii, Cph. ajelloi is considered to be a later synonym of C. carrionii. The Latin description of C. carrionii is emended to include the Phialophora anamorph.