Microhic Diseases Individually Considered. 283 



The microbe of cattle furcy is purely aerobic^. 



Cultures. — Cultures are easily obtained between 30° 

 and 40°. In bouillon it forms rounded pellicles of a 

 dull gray color and oily appearance, floating in the 

 liquid. On agar and gelatin it forms small masses 

 more or less regularly rounded, opaque, and thicker 

 at the periphery than at the center. On potato the 

 growth is rapid and takes the form of dry salient 

 plates, often depressed at their center. 



The microbe reproduces itself in cultures in the 

 form of star-like masses of intertwining filaments, 

 and it is only at the periphery that the bacillar nature 

 of its constituent elements can be recognized. Ac- 

 cording to M, I^ocard, the ramifications observed in 

 these masses are false ; the bacillus divides trans- 

 versely, then the terminal filament inclines to a right 

 angle, allowing its generator to continue its direct 

 course. The organism, therefore, is not a true clado- 

 thrix. 



Research and coloration. — The bacillus of cattle farcy 

 is easily colored; it is decolorized by the reaction of 

 Gram when the contact with the alcohol is too pro- 

 longed, but it takes the double stain of Weigert per- 

 fectly. The spores are stained with difiiculty. 



Experimeyital inoculations. — The disease is inocula- 

 ble to cattle, to the sheep and to the guinea pig; not 

 to the rabbit, cat, dog, nor horse. 



As a result of intra-peritoneal moculation in the 

 guinea pig the serous lining becomes studded with 

 tuberculiform nodules, in the purulent center of 

 which the characteristic tufted bacilli are contained; 

 these nodules are especially abundant in tlie omen- 

 tum, which itself has become much enlarged. The 



