J. Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 18, .563-568 (Aug. 19, 1967) The Human Scalp Habitat for Molds* as a CLAYTON T. SHAW, M. S., ** and RAYMOND W. VANDERWYK, Ph.D.t Synopsis--Ninety molds, representing B1 different species, including four known pathogens, have been isolated from the scalps of 100 individuals known to have dandruff. The isolation methods, ideutifying procedures and significance of the findings are discussed. INTRODUCTION There has been much interest in the isolation and identification of microorganisms from the human scalp in the last ten years because of their possible association with the scalp condition, "dandruff." It is believed by some investigators that dandruff is caused by a micro- organism or group of microorganisms. The human scalp offers an environment that is favorable for the growth of many types of microorganisms both aerobic and anaerobic. Investigation by Roia (1) has shown that at least 14 separate yeasts are often found on the scalp. Beal (2) isolated 16 aerobic bacteria, and Epstein (3) demonstrated that seven species of bacteria normally associated with the human intestinal tract are also found on the scalp. Presently, study of the flora of the scalp is concerned primarily with the isolation and identification of the group of fungi known as molds. Although many species of molds are knou'n to be air contaminants, it has not been shown that these molds are parasitic to man. However, some of the molds belong to genera that are known to be pathogenic. * Research supported by a grant from John H. Breck, Inc. ** Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. 01002. t Department of Microbiology, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Boston, Mass. 02115. 563

564 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS For 125 years fungi have been known to produce disease in man and animals (4). Before 1930 many fungus diseases were infectants in a small region of the country, but after 1930 an important cause for the spreading of fungus diseases as well as other diseases was the migration of people from one area to another. Some of the reasons for this great migration were economic depression and the great drought that occurred in the Midwest during the 1930's. The Second World War also caused a great deal of moving, both of industries and of the employees of the industrial plants. The fungi of most concern are the keratinophilic fungi. These fungi are best known because of their relationship to certain dermatomycoses such as athlete's foot and ringworm of the scalp. These fungi are strongly keratinolytic and degrade keratin by an enzyme system (4). This enzyme system is not fully understood, and successful tests of keratin in vivo are difficult. The keratinophilic fungi of the Gymnoascaceae have been studied extensively. Members of this family include Trichophyton mentagro- phytes, Microsporum gypscum, and Microsporum audouini. There is little doubt that the infections caused by the keratinophilic fungi are spread from infected to healthy persons by either direct or indirect transfer of arthrospores or keratin that contains the fungus. The need for knowledge of the microorganisms of the scalp and of their role in dandruff is of great importance to the manufacturers of hair preparations, such as medicated shampoos, hair rinses, and hair dressings. These types of products have been marketed by many companies in recent years. Their value is often questionable and al- most always incomplete because of the lack of information about the effectiveness of the product against the organisms that are found on the scalp. It is the purpose of this study to investigate the connection, if any, of the molds found on the scalp with the presence of dandruff. EXPERIMENTAL A group of 100 l•ersons was studied. It consisted of members of the senior and third-year classes at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy between September, 1963, and June, 1964, of members of the faculty, and of people taken at random from outside this College. Twelve of the subjects were females. The subjects were not considered to have any abnormal scalp condition. They ranged in age from 17 to 66 years. The material used in this study is known as "scurf." A scurf sam- ple was obtained from each subject by having each person scratch his