42 
SPIROCHETOSIS OF SUDANFSK FOWLS 
Action of 
atoxy) 
Work on 
ininuinity 
14. Sohollack,' like Williamson, has obtained definite proof that Argas reflex,us is 
effective. This species of tick has been found capable of infecting 64 days after feeding on 
spirochietal blood. 
15. Levaditi along with Koche - again affirms that the crisis is entirely due to phagocytic 
action, and not to hacteriolysins and opsonins. The latter appear to be the result of the 
destruction of the parasites, not the cause thereof. 
16. Together with McIntosh,'^ the senior author advances, in proof of this theory, the 
action of atoxyl, which exerts its beneficial effect, not by any direct attack on the parasites, on 
which it has no action in, vitro, but by a stimulation of phagocytes, thus in reality bringing 
about a “ precocious crisis.” 
17. Neufeld and Prowazek * do not agree with Levaditi. They think that both the 
immunity and the sp)irillicidal power are due to the intervention of a thermolabile non-specific 
complement and of a specific amboceptor. It was they who first endeavoured to show that 
spirochaetes are really protozoa by observing the action of bile salts and saponin or sapotoxin 
upon them. While the spirochtetes are destroyed by these substances, bacteria, except the 
pneumococcus, are not affected. 
These authors discuss the disease very fully, and repeated much of the work. They found 
that, after artificial infection, the spirochaetes appear on the third day. They are in great 
quantity on the fifth day, when they form tangles. The agglomeration is like that undergone 
by trypanosomes, but is not the same, as there is an irregular distribution in the heaps. After 
the fifth day motility decreases, becoming convulsive in nature. At the crisis (seven to eight 
days) the parasites disappear almost completely. 
There is leucocytosis, destruction of red blood cells, jaundice, and an increase in 
erythroblasts towards the crisis. 
The serum of “ salted ” birds possesses a marked anti-parasitic action. It agglomerates 
spirochaetes in 1 in 500, and kills them in 1 in 1000. Spirochaetes thus treated stain badly. 
No opsonins are to lie found. No phagocytosis takes place in mixtures of leucocytes, spiro- 
chaital blood, and inactivated immune serum; but no experiments were made with fresh 
immune serum 1 There is, however, loss of pathogenicity. 
The disease is prevented if 0’0025 c.c. immune serum be injected into fowls 24 to 48 hours 
before inoculation. If this is done during the disease, agglomeration of the spirochaetes occurs, 
and death from extensive thrombosis, as was, indeed, noted by Levaditi. 
There are no toxines produced. The filtrate from a Berkefeld filter produces no disease. 
The pathogenic action seems to be due to the great numbers of parasites and their destructive 
effect on the blood-vessels. 
18. Uhlenhuth, Gross and BickeL found that atoxyl in 5 centigram doses could 
prevent the disease or cure it if given at the time of, or one or two days after, inoculation. 
The blood, however, remains infective. Fowls cured, or in which the disease has been 
prevented developing, are immune. Quinine is said to be also beneficial. 
There is another special paper by von Prowazek which will be mentioned later, as it deals 
with some of the conditions specially described in the following paper. 
' Schellack, C. (.4pril 18th, 1908), “ Uebertragunjisversuche tier Hpirocliatte qallinarum durch Arnas 
reflexus” (Fabr.). Cent./. Itakt. Orirj., Vol. XLVI., No. 0. 
- Levaditi, G., and lloche, J. (1907), “Les opsonines et le niecanisme de la crise daus la Tick fever.” 
C. B. de la Sue. dc Biol, pp. 619-021. t. LXIl. 
^ Ibid, and McIntosh, .1. (.June 15th, 1907), “ Jj’intluence de I’atosyl sur la spirillose provoqut'e jiar le 
Spirillum Gallinarum.” C. B. de la Soc. de Biol., t. LXII. 
'Neufeld, F., and ton Prowazek. 8. (1907), “ Ueber die Iminunitiitserscheinungen bei der Spirochaden- 
septikamie der Hiihner,” etc. .irb. a. d. Kaiserl. (Sesundheitsamte, Vol. XXV., No. 2. 
Uhlenhuth. Gross and llickel (January 24th, 1907), ‘‘Untersuchungen iiber die Wirkung ties Atoxyls auf 
Trypanosomen und Spirochiiten.” Detit. Med. Wuch., p. 128. 
