Brittle hair in osteogenesis imperfecta: transmission and scanning electron microscopy and mycologic assay

The brittle hair fibres from a case of osteogenesis imperfecta were studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Normal hair fibres are extremely difficult to infect with T. mentagrophytes. As a tentative assay for biochemical defects of hair fibres, experimental dermatophytic infection of the hair with T. mentagrophytes was performed. The massive growth induced suggested that the experimental fungal infection may indeed indicate a biochemical defect in the hairs from our case of osteogenesis imperfecta.