208 



FAMILY: AMCEBID^ 



30° to 37° C. Bacteria were constantly present in the amoebse. In the 

 blood medium red blood-corpuscles were frequently ingested by the 

 amoebae, which structurally corresponded with E. histolytica. Even after 

 as many as ninety-three subcultures kittens could be infected with the 

 cultural forms, and a condition exactly like that arising from the injection 

 of material from cases of amoebic dysentery resulted. In a few instances 

 the animals developed amoebic abscess of the liver. Cultures were also 

 obtained from the infected kittens. On one occasion cysts were observed 

 in the culture tubes. Drbohlav (1925rt) has repeated these experiments, 

 which have also been confirmed by Thomson, J. G. and Robertson (1925). 

 ABERRANT FORMS OF E. HISTOLYTICA.— Working in North China, 

 Faust (1923) has observed in four cases of dysentery a peculiar type of 

 amoeba which ingests not only red blood-corpuscles, but also bacteria 



(Fig. 97). The characteristic 

 feature of the organism, 

 which has a diameter of 16 to 

 17 microns when quiescent 

 and globular, is its posterior 

 end. When active it is 

 definitely elongated, with a 

 rounded anterior end and a 

 tapering posterior end which 

 terminates in a pointed pro- 

 toplasmic structure (caudo- 

 style), surrounding which are 

 sometimes several smaller 



..,.r.. ,A -r, ,^-.o X K----K— — proiections. 



000). (After Faust, 192.3.) ^ ^ ^ ^ 



Debris tends to become 



adherent to the region of the caudostyle. The nucleus, measuring 3 to 4*5 



microns in diameter, is always situated in the rounded anterior end of 



the organism. On the inner surface of the nuclear membrane are minute 



chromatin granules. The karyosome is a star-shaped structure which may 



have a central vacuole. The rays consist of chromatin granules. In two 



of the cases examined the infection was a pure one, while in the other two 



cases E. histolytica occurred in one and E. coll in the other. Faust states 



that there was no difficulty in distinguishing these amoeba? from other 



species. Though the cases were followed for some time, no encysted stages 



of the organism were seen. The amoeba appears to fix and stain badly, 



as compared with E. histolytica or E. coli, which sometimes occurred in 



the same sample of faeces. Owing to the fea'.ures described above, Faust 



places the amoeba in a new genus as Caudamaeba sinensis. He believes 



that it is a cause of amoebic dysentery. As regards the validity of this 



Fig. 97. — " Candamceba sinensis " from the Human , , 



•2.000^. fAFTER Faust. 192.3.^ protoplasmic 



Debris tends 



Intestine ( 



