Isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum from a texas cave

Sixty-three soil samples collected from caves in Texas and the Republic of Mexico were studied to determine the incidence of pathogenic fungi by the use of the flotation technique in mice.Histoplasma capsulatum was isolated from the Kickapoo cave in Texas, and there was some histopathological evidence of its presence in the soil of Devil' cave (Cueva del Diablo) in Mexico. In the latter case, an incidence of human contact with the cave which resulted in an illness is presented.