HUMAN SCALP AS HABITAT FOR MOLDS 567 13 subjects, was Penicilliurn riotatum. Other common molds were Alternaria senecionis, in the scalps of ten subjects, and P. brevi-compac- turn, in the scall:s of six subjects. Aspergillus awarnori and Aspergillus rniyakoensis belong to the Aspergillus niger group. Members of this group are commonly isolated from the external ear of man. The black aspergilli are the most com- mon of all aspergilli. They are of world-wide distribution and occur in and upon the greatest variety of substrata, including grains, fabrics, leather, and decaying vegetation in the field. TaEle I Identifiable Molds Isolated from the Scalps of 100 Humans Number of Organism Isolates A Itemaria senecionis Aspergillus awarnori .4 spergillus furnigatus Aspergillus rniyakoensis Aspergillus terricola var. americana Aspergillus versicolor Cladosporiurn avellaneurn Cladosporiurn cladosporioides Cladosporiurn sphaerosperrnurn Helmijzthosporiurn halodes Mucor circinelloides P enicilliurn albidurn Penicilliurn brevi-cornpacturn Penicilliurn chrysogenurn P enicilliurn c itrin urn oeenicilliurn commune ?enicilliurn expansurn oeenicilliurn frequentans P enicilliurn irnplicaturn oeenicilliurn lanoso-coeruleurn Penicilliurn lilacinurn Penicilliurn lividurn oeenicilliurn nalgiovensis oeenicilliurn notaturn Penicilliurn oxalicurn Penicilliurn paxilli oeenicilliurn roqueforti Penicilliurn soppi P enicillium verrniculaturn Pseudosternphyliurn lanuginosurn P•llularia pullulans Total 10 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 4 2 o 2 6 2 4 2 2 4 4 1 1 4 1 13 1 2 1 3 2 2 __ 90

568 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS The Aspergillus tamarri series is not widely distributed, nor it is particularly common. It has been isolated from soil and from decaying organic material. It has no pathogenicity and may be regarded only as a saprophyte. The only species isolated belonging to this series was Aspergillus terricola var. americana. Aspergillus versicolor var. glauca was isolated from human skin show- ing "ringworm," but pathogenicity was not proved experimentally (5). It is often found upon dried salted lean beef, thus showing its ability to grow upon meat products. It has been isolated from other, "non- meaty" places, such as bread, cereals, old cheese, rubber, and paraffins. These molds are widely distributed. SUMMARY 1. The mold flora of the scalps of 100 people has been investigated. 2. From 55 of these people, a total of 90 molds were isolated by culture and were identified according to monographs found in the literature. 3. The 90 molds were represented by 31 species. 4. The three most prevalent molds were Penicillium notatum, /1 Itemaria senecionis, and Penicillium brevi-compactum. 5. Four of the 31 molds isolated are known to be pathogenic to man. The rest are plant saprophytes or parasites as well, responsible for the decomposition of organic materials. 6. There is no evidence in the literature to show that any of the molds isolated may cause any specific pathological condition of the scalp. 7. This survey shows that the human scalp harbors molds in great abundance. (Received October 10, 1966) REFERENCES (1) Roia, F. C., VanderWyk, R. W., and Beal, J. A., The human scalp as a habitat for yeasts, J. Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 14, 81 (1963). (2) Beal, J. A., Isolation and classification of aerobic bacteria from the human scalp. Master of Science Thesis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, 1962. (3) Epstein, J. M., The isolation and identification of fecal organisms frmn the human scalp. Master of Science Thesis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, 1963. (4) Delldorf, G., Fungi and Fungus Diseases, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Ill., 1963. (5) Raper, K. B., and Thom, C., A Manual of Aspergilli, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, Md., 1945.