Dermatophyte lesions in the hedgehog as a reservoir of penicillin-resistant staphylococci

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Abstract
An antibiotic substance biologically resembling penicillin G was produced by the growth ofTrichophyton mentagrophytesvar.erinacei, T. mentagrophytes var. granulareandT. mentagrophytesvar.interdigitalein Sabouraud's dextrose broth. An antibiotic concentration equivalent to 7 units/ml. penicillin G could be produced by var.erinaceiwhen grown in a suitable nutrient medium.Epidermophyton floccosumalso produced a substance which inhibited the growth of the Oxford staphylococcus. However, this substance was not completely inactivated by penicillinase. Noin vitroantibiotic production could be demonstrated withT. rubrum, T. concentricum, T. terrestreorMicrosporum canis.Penicillin production could be demonstrated in rabbit skin infected with T. ment-agrophytes var. erinacei. Pathogenic staphylococci falling on a var. erinacei guinea-pig lesion increased rapidly in the ringworm tissue. The inhibiting concentration of penicillin G for such staphylococci was shown to increase from 5·0 µg./ml. to above 20·0 µg./ml. as the ringworm progressed.The presence ofT. mentagrophytesvar.erinaceiin a high percentage of hedgehogs is considered the main reason why the skin is the primary site of staphylococcal multiplication in hedgehogs and why most of theStaphylococcias aureusstrains recoverable from these animals are penicillin resistant.