44 



Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



enlarged, the tongue coated with brown 

 fur becoming dry, foul breath, and an 

 ultimately fatal termination. 



At the necropsy the liver was found 

 to be much enlarged, weighing eighty- 

 three ounces, and containing numerous 

 nodules, mostly near the surface, some 

 immediately beneath the capsule. Each 

 was surrounded by a zone of hyperaemia 

 and appeared quite red. The spleen 

 weighed sixteen ounces and contained 

 similar nodules varying in size from a 

 pin-head to a pea. The splenic nodules 

 were mostly larger than those in the 

 liver and were more evenly distributed 

 throughout the organ. In the mucous 



Fig. 1. 



Coccidium oviforme. Developmental stages as 

 worked out by Leiickart. 1. The ripe encysted 

 form of the parasite. 2. Central collection of 

 granules preparatoiy to the division seen in 3 

 and 4. Nos. 5 and 6 show the ripe spores with 

 their enclosed embryos. Nos. 7 and 8 show sim- 

 ilar stages of the intestinal coccidium. 



membrane of the ileum were found six 

 papule-like elevations with surrounding 

 inflammatory zones. In the large intest- 

 ine there were several interesting 

 lesions in the form of deeply congested 

 patches of mucous membrane from one 

 to three inches square. In these areas 

 the mucous membrane was infected by 

 the parasites. A small patch of pneu- 

 monia existed in the anterior border of 

 the left lung. The microscopic appear- 

 ance of the parasite when subjected to 

 microscopic study coincided almost 

 exactly with that of the coccidium ovi- 

 forme of Leukhart. Silcock is of the 



opinion that the parasites may be of 

 much more frequent occurrence than is 

 thought, and points out how easily they 

 may be mistaken for tubercles or cancer 

 where no microscopic examination is 

 made. 



In Silcock's case, the occurrence of 

 the lesions in the spleen was supposed 

 to have followed the accidental entrance 

 of the parasites into the circulation. 

 That this is of quite possible occurrence 

 is shown by the observation of Delepine, 

 who found slightly altered coccidia in 

 the hepatic veins in the neighborhood 

 of large ulcerated psorospermic nodules, 

 and suggests that it is from such foci 

 that the infection of distant organs takes 

 place. 



As coccidiosus is a disease of rabbits, 

 one would naturally think to find the 

 source of infection in objects associated 

 with those animals. This is, however, 

 not always the case, for in the experi- 

 ence of Podwyssozki coccidia were found 

 in eggs, and Lonimski found them in 

 association with the Cysticircus cellulosa 

 in ham. There are no doubt a variety 

 of different sources through which the 

 spores of these parasites can enter the 

 body. 



In going carefully over the literature 

 of the subject, I have been able to col- 

 lect the following cases of human 

 infection by the Coccidium oviforme: 



1. Gubler (Gaz. med. d. Paris, 1858, 667). In 

 this ease the liver was the seat of the dis- 

 ease and contained about twenty nodes 2-3 

 to 20-30 cm. in diameter and innumerable 

 small coccidial cysts. 



2. Dressier. In this case the disease was 

 also situated in the liver, where three 

 nodules varying in size from' a millet-seed 

 to a pea were found. 



3. Sattler. In this case the coccidia were 

 found in a dilated bile-duct. 



4. Perls observed two cases. 



5. Virchow. This case also showed itself 

 in the liver, where there was a cheesy 

 tumor. 



The above cases were collected by Leuk- 

 hart and are published in his work, " Die 

 menschlichen Parasiten." 



6. Podwyssozki. Pour cases are claimed 

 by this observer, all in the liver. (Centralbl. 

 fur Bakt. u. Parasitenkunde, Vol. VI. 



7. Silcock. Transactions of the Pathologi- 

 cal Society of London, 1890, p. 392. It is from 

 this case that I have quoted so extensively. 



8. Eimer (Die Ei-oder Kugleformigen 

 Psorospermien der Wirbeltiere. Wurzburg, 

 1870. Eimer reports two cases in which the 

 intestine was affected. 



9. Railliet and Lucet (Traite de zoologie 

 med. Paris, 1893). These observers found 

 coccidia in the stools of a woman and of a 

 child suffering from diarrhoea. 



10. Kjellberg (Virchow's Archives V., 18). 

 This case also was an intestinal one. Kruse 

 is of the opinion that it was not the cocci- 

 dium oviforme, but one of the forms that 

 are common in the cat and dog— coccidium 

 bigemminum. 



11. Lindemann (Gazette med. de Paris, 1886, 

 V. 70). In this case the coccidia were in the 

 kidney. 



