Pityriasis versicolor: emissive and cathodoluminescence examination in the scanning electron microscope.

The morphology of Malassezia furfur has been investigated using both the emissive and cathodoluminescence modes of operation in the scanning electron microscope. The three-dimensional relationships of the parasite with its human host squames, and also the various morphological manifestations of the parasite in typical cases of Pityriasis versicolor, have been studied in the presence of hyphae; and various kinds of “spores” have been demonstrated. The fluorescence of the lesions in ultraviolet light is a well known phenomenon, but using cathodoluminescence, it has proved possible to show that the hyphae and “spores” are strong sources of luminescence emission.