SPIUOCH.JSTOSIS OF SUDANESE FOWLS 
53 
11. Eventually I' witnessed under the microscope in a few cases the entry of spirochetes 
into red blood corpuscles, and in one instance the formation of a body very closely, 
though not exactly, resembling those described in the fresh blood of infected birds. 
I tbink, therefore, the chain of evidence is now complete, and before going on to describe 
one or two cases in detail and to discuss some aspects of the condition and refer to its treat¬ 
ment, it may be interesting to refer brielly to the work of the above-mentioned authors. 
Taking Lingard first, apart from the observation above noted, he described and figured® 
certain “ 23rotozoic ” forms in the blood of cattle in India, which I think 'might possibly be 
exjjlained on the sujjposition that they are endoglobular forms of the sjjirochmtes discovered 
by Lingard himself in Indian bovines. 
Moreover, in this connection one would note that the so-called cytamoeba of the frog, 
observed by the Liverpool observers^ in West Africa, is exceedingly like some of tbe bodies 
in fowls’ corpuscles. I should think it is quite possible that it may really represent an 
endoglobular stage of a sijirochaete. 
Breinl described and figured Sp. duttoni lying in the substance of the red corpuscles, but 
the appearance is totally unlike anything met with in fowls, the parasite being in the form 
of a looped S 2 )iral thread or skein, and apparently not undergoing any contraction or 
encystation. At the same time Breinl noted that in the spleen and liver the spirochaetes 
formed skeins which became encysted forms that broke u^i into small red granules {vide 
Review Supplement, “ SjrirochEetosis,” page 191). 
Prowazek’s paper is, however, the most important. He first saw the entry of the 
spirochmtes into the red blood corpuscles in a test-tube experiment where very diluted 
inactive serum was added to spirochsete material which had been washed and centrifuged 
twice, and therefore contained little complement. Under such conditions it was easy to 
observe that the jiarasites actually migrated into the red corpuscles, as in some cases the 
corpuscles had died and were “ thrown ” to and fro by the very mobile spirochmtes. In some 
oases the parasite transformed the erythrocyte into the shajie of a 2 >ear. Later, this stage was 
recognised in cover-slip preparations or in hanging drop, and to a less extent in quickly dried 
films. It was noted that the sjrirochietes entered the corpuscles, singly or two together or, 
but seldom, in threes, and moved in the corpuscles in a circle in a very lively manner, quite 
different to that exhibited by the parasites in the free serum. 
Prowazek was inclined to regard this behaviour as the formation of a special resting 
stage, but noted that nothing definite could be determined until it had been studied in the 
tick. The sjDirochffites were observed to migrate into old as well as into the young corj)uscles, 
which are more oval and have various kinds of granules in them. In some instances the 
parasites were also seen to leave the corpuscles they had entered. All these apjiearances are 
well illustrated. This cell parasitism, like that met with in Treponema and Sj). anodontce, 
tended to confirm Prowazek in his view that Sp. yallinarum was a protozoon and not one of 
the bacteria; but we must not lose sight of Kruse’s observations on bacillary invasion already 
cited. 
Lingard's 
work 
A frog 
parasite 
Breinl and 
duttoni 
Observations 
of von 
Prowazek 
In this paper also Prowazek enters very fully into the morphology of Sp. gallinarum, 
specially mentioning the a^Jparent conjugation of thin and broad forms, or of the S2)herical 
masses of protoplasm which may be formed upon the spirochaetes. When on two different 
‘ Balfour, A. (February 1st, 11108), “ Spirochaetosis in Sudanese Fowls.” Journal of Tropical Medicine 
and Hygiene. 
- Lingard, A. (July, 1007), “ Some Forms of Spirochaitosis met with in Animals in India.” Journal of 
Tropical Veterinary Science^ Vol. II., No. 3. 
“ Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitolo (jy (December 9tli, 1907), Series T.M., Vol. I., No. 3. 
