An International Symposium on Opportunistic Fungous Infections was held at Duke University School of Medicine on June 28 to 30, 1962, at which data were presented to elucidate the factors that contribute and predispose to the increase in incidence and variety of mycotic infections that are being widely encountered.
The importance of determining the natural habitat of pathogenic fungi was initially stressed with particular emphasis being placed on the necessity to procure data on the ecology and distribution of those fungi which thrive as saprophytes in nature and are the cause of most mycotic infections (Ajello, L., Atlanta).
Data were then presented to show that Aspergillus fumigatus can be readily isolated from decomposing leaves, Sporotrichum schenckii from growing vegetation, and Cryptococcus neoformans from pigeon guano (Emmons, C. W., Bethesda, Md.) with reference being made to the association of Histoplasma capsulatum with chicken and bat guano (Vanbreuseghem, R., Antwerp) and Geotrichum