114 PROTOZOAN PARASITISM 



by 45 °C. in twenty minutes. The organism could 

 withstand apparent drying for about three minutes, 

 showing the possibility of droplet transmission. 



Kofoid (1929) reports that in his laboratory dogs 

 have been successfully infected experimentally with 

 Endamoeha gingivalis. Of these animals only those 

 with gingival inflammation, pocket formation or 

 loose gingivae at the time of inoculation, were sus- 

 ceptible. He found all of the monkeys which he ex- 

 amined to harbor an amoeba indistinguishable from 

 E. gingivalis, those having the heaviest infections 

 showing a condition closely resembling pyorrhoea in 

 man. It should be noted that Goodrich and Moseley 

 (1916) found an organism indistinguishable from E. 

 gingivalis in the mouths of dogs having a similar 

 condition to pyorrhoea in man. The writer has been 

 unsuccessful in attempts to plant the amoeba from 

 the human mouth directly to the gums of guinea 

 pigs, rabbits, and dogs, all animals used having ap- 

 parently normal gums and teeth. 



PREVENTION AND TREATMENT 



At the present time the treatment of oral amoebia- 

 sis cannot be very intelligently discussed. Man is 

 universally subject to the infection very commonly. 

 It is undoubtedly transmitted from person to per- 

 son by direct or almost direct mouth passage, proba- 

 bly in large part by the act of kissing. Were it de- 

 sirable to prevent this infection avoidance of such 

 direct contact might be very effective. Indirect pas- 

 sage by means of the cup, spoon, fork, or other like 



