Isolation of fungi from judean desert soil

Summary 1. Results of culture of thirty soil samples obtained from the Judean Desert on the western side of the Dead Sea are reported. These soil samples were obtained from caves found in the walls of the cliff leading to the plateau Massada, the level of the caves varying from sea level to 300 feet below.2. Two strains ofCryptococcus neoformans were recovered from soil obtained from a bat cave 300 feet below the top of the plateau.3. No evidence ofHistoplasma capsulatum orCoccidioides immitis was found.4. This evidence, coupled with negative skin test data reported previously, implies thatHistoplasma capsulatum andCoccidioides immitis are probably not inhabitants of soil in this part of Israel.