Histochemical Studies of Tissue Forms and of Perifungal Substance in Subcutaneous Phycomycosis

Abstract

A histochemical study of phycomyces hyphae of a case of subcutaneous phycomycosis from India showed that the protoplast consists of PAS-positive polysaccharides and a small amount of RNA containing proteins. The cell wall is laminated and it is suggested that cellulose and hemicellulose compounds, as well as other polysaccharides but no proteins are present. Special attention was paid to the perihyphal substance. Adsorption of anti-human gamma globulin suggests the presence of host antibodies among the proteins present in precipitate. PAS-positive polysaccharides in this substance are probably products of the fungus. Thus, the perifungal substance of phycomyces may be considered as an immune precipitate, which is of a different nature to that of the capsular substance as produced by Cryptococcus neoformans and by spores of Rhinosporidium seeberi.