Biography

Carlos da Silva Lacaz, Brazilian medical mycologist and historian of medicine (Guaratinguetá, São Paulo State 19 September 1915 – São Paulo 23 April 2002)

From French, Swiss and Italian descent

Authored about 500 scientific works

Performed researches in medical mycology and tropical pathology   

Reported the first human culture-proven case of brain abscesses due to Fonsecaea pedrosoi

With J.P.S. Nóbrega, S. Rosemberg, A.M. Adami, E.M. Heins-Vaccari & T.F. de Brito. Fonsecaea pedrosoi cerebral phaeohyphomycosis (“chromoblastomycosis”): first human culture-proven case reported in Brazil. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. São Paulo 45:217-20, 2003

Characterized infection by paracoccidioidomycosis 

With S.A.P. Sampaio introduced amphotericin B treatment for paracoccidioidomycosis  (1958)

With Passos Filho demonstrated the existence of Blastomycosis-infection 

First to report sporotrichosis transmission from cat to man

With F. Almeida, S.A.P. Sampaio & J.C. Fernandes. Dados estatísticos sobre a esporotricose – análise de 344 casos. Na. Bras. Derm. Sifil. 1:9-12, 1955

Set down the general rules in isolating and identifying Actinomycetes

Orientação geral no isolamento e identificação dos Actinomicetos produtores de micetomas. Rev. Bras. Med. 3:442-4, 1946  

WITH F.P. DE ALMEIDA

First to isolate Histoplasma capsulatum (1939)

Obtained antigen paracoccidiodin for skin test of South American blastomycosis (1941)

Described Geotrichum virulens (1940)

Developed Almeida-Silva Lacaz yeast sporulation médium

Nova técnica para demonstração rápida dos ascoporos. Folia Clin. Biol. 12(4), 1940

NEW METHODS/TECHNIQUES

Techniques for determination of Rh blood group 

With H.C. Ferreira & O. Mellone. Um processo rápido e eficiente para a determinação do fator Rh. Rev. Bras. Med. 1(2):179-182, 1946 

With colleagues. Nossa experiência com o fator Rh. Dados estatísticos. Nova técnica de determinação do fator Rh. Rev. Paul. Med. 29:233, 1946  

Modified Gomori-Grocott method for studying Pneumocystis carinii (1973)

A new method for microculture of fungi

With E. Porto, N. Takahashi & E.M. Heins. Nuevo metodo para microcultivo de hongos. Rev. Arg. Micol. 4:24-9, 1981

With M.J. Mendes-Giannini, M.E. Camargo & A.W. Ferreira. Immunoenzymatic absorption test for serodiagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 20(1):103-8, 1984

HONORS

Rhoda Benham Medal, Medical Society of the Americas (1977)

Lucille K. Georg Award, International Society for Human and Medical Mycology (1988)

Genus Lacazia Taborda, Taborda & McGinnis 1999 (Fungi)