208 



yeast and about 5 per cent, with a species of Hahronema that destroys 

 the ovaries, the species is abundant wherever it occurs. This fly 

 has a habit of worr^ang a blood-sucking fly, such as Stomoxys 

 calcitrans, on cattle till the latter withdraws its proboscis ; M. hezzii 

 then feeds on any blood that exudes [R.A.E., B, i, 209]. It also 

 feeds on dried spots of blood. 



Herpetomonas mirabilis, Roub., has been recorded from the alimen- 

 tary tract of Chrysomyia albiceps [putoria) from West Africa and 

 from C. megaceph'ala and Lucilia craggi in India. It also develops 

 in the alimentary tract of the larva of L. argyricephala, the infection 

 being carried over to the adult stage through the pupa. This flagellate 

 cannot be transmitted to Miisca nebiilo, and the author has only found 

 it in the Calliphorixae in India. 



H. muscae-domesticae, Burnett, is parasitic in Musca nehulo, 

 M. humilis, Fannia canicularis, Borhorns sp., Drosophila sp., Lucilia 

 ■argyricephala, L. craggi and several other Calliphorixae. It is 

 ingested bv the adults when feeding on infected excreta, and it can 

 also live and multiply in the alimentary tract of the larvae of some 

 of its hosts. The larvae of M. nehiilo are commonly infected with this 

 flagellate, the infection persisting to the adult stage. The larvae 

 also acquire the parasite by ingestion. This Herpetomonas, like all 

 •others, cannot live in the NNN medium with bacteria, as they soon 

 overgrow it and kill it, but in the alimentary tract of the host it may 

 be present with faecal bacteria as long as the latter do not gain the 

 ascendency. 



H. sarchphagae, Prowazek, is common in many species of Sarcophaga 

 and is generally found in the hindgut in- the round post-flagellate stage. 

 Attempts to infect Musca nebulo with this species failed. A Crithidia 

 showing some peculiarities common to certain trypanosomes was 

 found in two species of Sepsids. The flagellate in question could 

 under no circumstances have been acquired from the blood of a verte- 

 brate, as it was found in a purely dung-feeding fly. A species of 

 Herpetomonas was also present in one of these flies. 



It is suggested that the study of the life-histories of these insect 

 flagellates would be of great value as an aid to the understand- 

 ing of the related forms likely to become pathogenic to man and 

 animals. White mice were not found suitable for experiment with 

 Herpetomonads. 



Pattox (W. S.), LaFrexais (H. I\I.) & Suxdara Rao (— )• Studies 

 on the Flagellates of the Genera Herpetomonas, Crithidia and 

 Rhynchoidonwnas. No. 8. Note on the Behaviour of Herpeto- 

 monas tropica, Wright, the Parasite of Cutaneous Herpetomonas 

 (Oriental Sore) in the Bed Bug, Cimcx heniiptera, Fahv.—Ind. Jl. 

 Med. Res., Calcutta, ix, no. 2, October 1921, pp. 240-251, 2 plates, 

 1 fig. 

 Previous experiments carried out by the senior author show that 

 Musca nebulo and body and head lice [Pediculus humanus and P. capitis] 

 play no part in the transmission of the parasite of Oriental sore from 

 man to man, and there is no evidence to incriminate Pulex irritans 

 or Ctenocephalus canis. Cimex hemiptera appeared to be the only 

 possible insect carrier, though the parasite is not transmitted by the 

 bug in the act of sucking blood. In Mesopotamia the organism 

 causing Oriental sore is Herpetomonas phlebotomi, which produces the 

 sore by multiplying in the skin. 



