The Monilia Psilosis as a Cause of Tropical Sprue

Abstract
Summary In a series of 11 cases of sprue carefully studied bacteriologically the Monilia psilosis has been found frequently in culture of the feces of all cases. Ulcers of the mouth infrequently seen in this series have given positive cultures twice and these in the same patient. Blood cultures have been negative for true Monilia psilosis in the 9 cases examined but a yeast has been found in 2 cases which was not typical of Monilia psilosis in the sugar medias. Ashford's success in finding this organism in a large percentage of sprue cases and in a small percentage of non-sprue cases has been confirmed here by finding the monilia in all of 11 recent cases of sprue from China, India, Korea, Porto Rico and the Philippines. Monilia have also been isolated from a few other conditions, some of which have been typical Monilia psilosis while a few were atypical. We have been able to isolate this organism from the stools of pernicious anemia cases using the same bacteriological technic in four of seventeen cases (23 per cent). Finding monilia in such a large percentage of sprue cases causes one to feel that it may be more than a secondary invader. We have, however, found the same, or a similar organism in a rather large percentage of pernicious anemia cases and in various diarrheal conditions. We feel that finding monilia in this series of sprue cases may be added evidence of the etiological relationship of this organism to sprue.