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REVIEW — TKOPICAL MEDICINE, ETC. 219 



possible for these filaiia to circulate in the peripheral blood in large numbers without Veterinary 

 causing any cutaneous lesions or producing untoward symptoms. Diseases— 



These embryos may disappear entirely from the blood and may become lodged in the 

 internal organs. The Bursati sore, or ulcer, contains characteristic yellow-coloured 

 granules, the so-called Knnkar. These kunkar nodules have been found to be made up of 

 large numbers of filarial embryos clumped together, and it is believed by Dr. Lingard that 

 these parasites cause Bursati. 



Glauders. — Although this disease is fairly prevalent in tropical countries, it is beyond 

 the scope of this work to consider the whole subject of glanders. It has occurred in 

 Khartoum, and B. nuillei has been isolated. 



Eeference may be made, however, to mallein as a diagnostic aid in glanders. 



Discovered in 1890 by a Russian veterinary surgeon, it has furnished an almost 

 infallible means of diagnosing the existence of the disease in its latent stages. When 

 injected into a healthy animal no symptoms appear, but when glanders is present there 

 is not only a characteristic febrile disturbance, but a swelling at the site of the injection. 

 The intensity of the reaction, however, bears no relation to the extent or duration of the 

 disease. 



Accordingly it has always been held by the veterinary profession that the mallein 

 reaction is absolutely specific. Schattenfroh, however, in 1894, showed, as the result of some 

 tests on guinea pigs, that mallein acted similarly to various bacterial proteins ; but the 

 mallein used by Schattenfroh consisted of protein precipitated by alcohol from concentrated 

 broth cultures of B. iiiallei, so that his conclusions do not apply to mallein as it is now 

 prepared. 



Siidmersen,' in an interesting paper, describes his observations on some non-specific 

 reactions of mallein. This observer noted that in one experiment on a healthy horse that 

 had undergone treatment with diphtheria toxin for over two years, a large local reaction 

 and a rise of temperature, sufficient to condemn the horse, was obtained after an injection 

 of 0-25 c.c. of mallein. A second dose of 2 c.c. mallein was injected within three days 

 of the first injection, the local swelling was more marked than before, and the temperature 

 reaction was similar. The reactions obtained were considered sufficient to condemn the 

 horse as glandered, but a post mortem revealed no evidence of glanders. The deductions 

 from Siidmersen's observations are that horses immunised against other bacteria or bacterial 

 products will give a large local reaction to mallein, but this is usually not associated with a rise 

 in temperature. This local reaction disappears rapidly, and can thus be distinguished from 

 the reaction in the case of glandered horses. In the few cases when a rise in temperature 

 took place the curve was markedly difi'erent from that obtained in the case of glandered 

 animals. Other bacterial products react similarly to mallein upon immune animals. Vallee-* 

 states that among glandered horses subjected to the skin reaction by means of mallein he 

 observed phenomena similar to those produced by the action of tuberculin on tuberculous 

 animals. The glanders skin reaction may give rise to erroneous interpretation ; thus, some 

 horses that were not glandered were able to produce in the region of the skin of the neck 

 a distinct reaction. The glanders ophthalmo-reaction is not so distinctive as to induce one 

 to prefer it to the subcutaneous inoculation of mallein. 



An interesting case of a disease similating farcy in a horse, from which an organism 

 possessing many features in common with the Bacillus mallei was isolated, is recorded by 

 Baldrey and Martin^ in India. The horse was tested with mallein, but there was no rise of 

 temperature and the local reaction was slight. Smears made from pus revealed a few 

 organisms resembling B. mallei in size and shape, but somewhat shorter and more rounded. 

 The cultural and inoculation tests were not specific of glanders. 



Reference may be made to Rinderpest, a disease which, owing to its ravages in 

 certain parts of the Tropics, has caused considerable loss to the industrial community, 

 and has been the means of crippling trade. This is especially the case in the Sudan, 



' Siidmerseu, H. J., and Qlenny, A. (January, 1908), "On some Non-specific Reactions of Mallein." Journal 

 of Eygienc. 



■" Vallee, A. (June 30th, 1907), " Sur la ciiti-reactiou et Ophthalnio-R^action dans la Morve." BiUl. Soc. Cent. 

 Med. Vet. 



■' Baldrey, F. P., and Martin, G. D. (July lat, 1906), " A disease of the Horse similating Farcy, from which an 

 Organism possessing many features in common with Bacillus Mallei was isolated." Journal of Tropical Veterinary 

 Hcicnce, No. 3, p. 316. 



* Article not consulted in the original. 



