484 THE SPIROCHETES 



in relapsing fever blood. The organisms are also larger (14-30 ju) and coarser than 

 T. recurrentis. Fusiform bacilli are not present in the lesion. The parasites stain more 

 readily and deeply than T. schaudinni (T. vincenti) and are easily differentiated from 

 T. pallidum and T. pertenue. Strong obtained an impure culture in sterile Amazon 

 River water containing 15-20 per cent rabbit serum but the spirochetes died out in 

 six days, hence the pathogenicity of the cultures could not be determined. 



Treponema aboriginalis (probably a synonym of T. vincenti) was described as oc- 

 curring in granuloma inguinale.' 



Treponema acuminatum and Treponema obtusum were described by Castellani^ in 

 1905. They occurred together with T. pertenue in yaws lesions. 



Treponema balanitidis was found by Hoffmann and von Prowazek^ in 1906 in a 

 case of balanitis erosiva circinata. 



Treponema pseudopallidum was described by Mulzer in 1905. ^ It was found in 

 ulcers of the genital region. 



Rona, in 1907, described Treponema gangraenosa nosocomialis found in ulcers of 

 the genital region. ^ 



Treponema urethrae and Treponema vaginalis were the names given by Macfie^ 

 to organisms which he found in the urine and the vaginal discharge, respectively, of 

 cases in the Accra Hospital (Gold Coast). 



SPIROCHETES OF THE INTESTINAL TRACT 



The presence of spirochetes or spirilla in feces was recorded as long ago- as 1884.7 

 Le Dantec^ in 1903 observed that the mucus in the feces of a patient with dysentery 

 formed a kind of false membrane consisting of an almost pure culture of spiral or- 

 ganisms which he referred to as "spirilla." Miihlens' described several spirochetes in 

 the intestinal contents, a small one from cholera feces, and several larger ones similar 

 to the spirochetes of the mouth. Werner'" named two types of spirochetes found in 

 normal stools, a form with only two flat curves, frequently showing an S-shape, which 

 he called Spirochaeta eurygyrata, another with two to six close spirals which he named 

 S. stenostrcpta. Broughton-Alcock" thinks that 5". eurygyrata has definite significance 

 on certain types of dysentery found in mucus, but that 5. stenostrcpta is non-patho- 

 genic. Recent work of Sabrazes'^ lends support to the assumption that pathogenic 



' Cleland, J. B.: /. Trop. Med., 12, 143. 1909. 



^ Castellani, A. : loc. cU. 



3 Hoffmann, E., and von Prowazek, S.: Ccnlralhl.f. Baktcriol., Orig., 41, 741, S17. 1906. 



''Mulzer, P.: Bed. klin. Wchnschr., 42, 1144. 1905. 



s Rona, S.: Verh. dciUsche dermat. Gessell., 9, 471. 1907. 



*Macfie, J. W. S.: Ann. Trop. Med., 10, 305. 1916; J. ParasiioL, 9, 274. 1917. 



7 Escherich, T.: Munchen. med. Wchnschr., No. 54. 1884. 



^Le Dantec: Gaz. hebd. des Sc. med. de Bordeaux, 31, 196. 1900; Compt. rend. Soc. de blol., 

 55, 617. 1903. 



"Muhlens, P.: Zlschr.f. Hyg. u. Infeklionskrankh., 57. 4oS- iQo?- 



10 Werner, H.: Centralbl. f. Bakteriol., Abt. t, 52, 241. 1909. 



" Broughton-Alcock, A.: Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 14, Part III, 46. 1923. 



" Sabrazes, J.: Compt. rend. Soc. dc blol., 182, 1052. 1926; Gaz. hebd. des Sc. med. de Bordeaux, 

 47, 196, 226. 1926. 



