CORRELATION OF FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY, HISTOPATHOLOGY, AND CULTURE ON TISSUES FROM 372 ANIMALS EXAMINED FOR HISTOPLASMOSIS AND BLASTOMYCOSIS

Porter, Billie M. (Communicable Disease Center, Kansas City, Kan.), Barbara K. Comfort, Robert W. Menges, Robert T. Habermann, and Coy D. Smith. Correlation of fluorescent antibody, histopathology, and culture on tissues from 372 animals examined for histoplasmosis and blastomycosis. J. Bacteriol. 89:748-751. 1965.-In a survey in the midwestern United States, tissues from 372 animals including 16 species were examined for Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. All of the specimens were cultured and studied by use of the fluorescent-antibody (FA) technique, and histopathological studies of tissue sections were done. Among the 372 animals, 300 were negative by all three methods of examination, 34 had blastomycosis, and 21 had histoplasmosis. The remaining 17 were positive for histoplasmosis with the FA technique but were negative by histopathology and culture. An animal was considered to have histoplasmosis or blastomycosis only when the specific fungus was isolated or demonstrated in tissue sections or exudates from cutaneous lesions. Of the 34 blastomycosis cases, 25 (74%) were positive by FA, 32 (94%) by histopathology, and 11 (32%) by culture. Of the 21 histoplasmosis cases, 15 (71%) were positive by FA, 16 (76%) by histopathology, and 14 (67%) by culture. It appeared that FA, histopathology, or culture alone was insufficient for a diagnosis. All three techniques should be employed for the most satisfactory diagnostic results.