Investigations in Tinea Versicolor: Lipid and Amino Acid Studies **

In recent years it has become more and more evident that serious or intractable fungus infection occurs only when there is something abnormal about the patient. For this reason we have undertaken a physiological and biochemical study of individuals with certain fungous diseases with the hope that these studies would lead to a better understanding of susceptibility to and pathogenecity of mycotic infections. The choice of tinea versicolor for one such study was motivated by several factors: the availability of cases, the benign nature of the infection (a factor important in making experimental subjects available), and our belief-in view of the rarity of conjugal infection in the United States as well as the difficulty of transmitting infection-that in this disease in particular, infected individuals must possess certain factors which make them susceptible. Recently we reported on some results obtained in our studies.! These results included: first, three factors (genetic background, illness and malnutrition , hypercorticalism) important in susceptibility; second, experimental infection of subjects under special conditions; and third, evidence pointing to possible relationship of M. furfur, the presumed etiology agent2 (Fig. 1, A) and P. orbiculare, the yeast isolated by Gordon' from tinea versi-color in 1951. The following presents the results of lipid levels, fatty acid and amino acid composition in the skin in tinea versicolor as compared to controls. LIPID STUDIES Among the first factors we considered as possibly important in susceptibility to tinea versicolor were quantitative and/or qualitative changes in skin lipids. This consideration was indicated by several factors: the origin of lesions about the hair follicles, growth of the yeast-like organisms deep