706 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL Soc:~n OP TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE, VOL. 76, No. 5, 1982. CORRESPONDENCE

smears of the lesions and of the liver, spleen and lung of these hamsters revealed exuberant proliferation of intracellular and free H. capsulatum yeasts. Subse- quent isolation attempts yielded growth of the mycelial phase of the fungus with characteristic macroconidia on BHI agar supplemented with chlor- amphenicol and cycloheximide at 25X, and that of small, oval yeasts on BHI blood agar (6%) at 37°C. Dimorohism of the fungus was demonstrated bv succesiful conversion of t&e mycelial to tissue phase on Sabhi aear at 37°C. and vice versa on Sabourand dextrose agar at 25°C:

Previous skin test surveys (TESH & MARQUES, 1966; FONESCA et al., 1973; MOK & FAVA NETTO, 1978) have identified the Amazon Basin of Brazil as an endemic zone of histoplasmosis. We did not encoun- ter any other Histoplasma infection in animals similar- ly surveyed in the Western Amazon, nor among bats sampled over the entire Basin (MOK et al., 1982). Our fortuitous finding of natural histoplasmosis in an armadillo in the eastern Amazon underlines the peculiar nature of the animal reservoir of H. capsuZa- turn within the Amazon biota.

JORGE R. ARIAS ROBERTO D. NAIFF MARICLEIDE F. NAIFF WAI YIN MOK

Instituto National de Pesquisas da Amaz&ia,

Caixa Postal 478, 69000 Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

MARGARIDA M. R. ALMEIDA Institute Eva&o Chagas, da Funda@o SESP, Caixa Postal 3 66000 Belt%, Par& Brazil

References Arias, J. R., Naiff, R. D., Miles, M. A. & Souza, A. A.

(1981). The opossum, Didelphis marsupialis (Marsupialia: Didelohidae). as a reservoir host of Leishmania brazilien- sis g&anens& in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 75, 537-541.

Fonseca, 0. J. M., Lacaz,, C. S. & Machado, P: A. (1973). InquCrito imuno-al&glco na Amazdnia. Resultados pre- liminares. Revista do Institute de Medicina Tropical.de S&o Paulo, 15, 406-416.

Lainson, R. & Shaw, J. J. (1975). Pneumocystis and Histoplusma infections in wild animals from the Amazon region of Brazil. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 69, 505508.

Mok, ?V. Y. & Fava Netto, C. (1978). Paracoccidioidin and histoplasmin sensitivity in Coari (State of Amazonas), Brazil. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 27, 808-814.

Mok, W. Y., Luizgo, R. C. C. & Barreto da Silva, M. S. (1982). Fungi isolated frqm bats of the Amazon Basin. &plied and Environmental Microbiolom, 44, (in press).

Moraes, M. A. P. & Almeida, M. M. R. (1976). Isolamento de Histoplasma caps&turn do solo de Hqmholdt (Estado Em4ato Grosso, Brasil). Acta Amuzonrca, 6(4) Suppl.

Taylor, k. L. & Shacklette, M. H. (1962). Naturally acquired histoplasmosis in the mammals of the Canal fy$me$anJoumal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene,

Tesh,’ R. B. & Marques, R. J. (1966). Histoplasmin

sensitivity in Brazil. American Journal of Tropical Medi- cine and Hygiene, 15, 359-363.

Accepted for publication 2nd 314~5, 1982.

MESRAP (Medical Education in Rural Areas Project)

I would like to bring to your readers’ notice a project at the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok which I visited recently.

MESRAP (Medical Education for Rural Areas Project) has three major objectives:

1. to increase the number of doctors in Thailand; 2. to train doctors for rural practice with an

emphasis on primary health care; 3. to increase the commitment of doctors to

practice in rural communities. The rural communities identify promising students

as prospective doctors two years before graduation from high school. The university then selects the best of these and they follow the normal pre-medical programmes as do other students although they are required to undertake field studies during their vacations. These field studies are organized by the faculty and the Ministry of Public Health. During this period they are appointed to hospitals, some not yet built, in their own communities and are encouraged to develop links. Their clinical years are spent in provincial hospitals. Their tutors are doctors and other staff, assisted by visits from the faculty. Considerable emphasis is laid on a problem-solving curriculum and self-learning packages. At the end of the course they will write the same professional examinations as their peers in Bangkok. After gradua- tion they are bonded to their community hospitals for four years--two years longer than for other graduates.

The project started in 1978 and the first batch of students is now starting their clinical training at the provincial hospital at Chantaburi-20 kilomemes from Bangkok. The piogress of the students so far shows no difference compared with other students in the Medical School.

Further information is available from Dr. Seri Ruamsuke, MESRAP, Faculty of Medicine, Chula- longkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

K. R. CRIPWELL

University of London Institute of Education,

20 Bedford Way, London WCIH OAL

Accepted for publication 20th June, 1982.

A simple technique for preparation of smears from the ear of Rhombomys opimus for the detection of

leishmanial infection The great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) is the main

reservoir of the zoonotic type of cutaneous leish- maniasis in Iran and some neighbouring countries.