24 



HUMAN INTESTINAL PROTOZOA IN THE NEAR EAST 



Jf 



covered with the bright retractile spores. The bacillus was isolated, 

 and Captain Campbell, E.A.M.C., identified it as Bacillus mega- 

 therium. It was often present in large numbers in stools containing 

 mucus, the mucus itself appearing to be a very favourable medium 

 for its growth. When arncebse were present, the spores of the 

 bacillus were frequently ingested by them. 



(e) Healthy Natives. It was evident as a result of examinations 

 made by one of us in England during the latter part of 1915, and 

 by both of us in Egypt, that the British troops in the Mediterranean 

 war area were becoming heavily infected with various intestinal 

 protozoa. We have shown that this infection is probably largely 

 due to the flies which readily take up these protozoa from human 

 excrement and deposit them upon articles of food. It is evident 

 that for such an infection to be possible a reservoir must exist, and 

 the native seemed the most probable source of this infection. 



In order to test this theory it is necessary to examine the 

 natives of Egypt, and we were able to do this owing to the kindness 

 of Dr. Kirton, who gave us permission to examine a number of 

 prisoners in Hadra Prison, Alexandria. We examined in all 524 

 prisoners, with the results set out in Column 6, Table IX, page 26. 

 As the helminthic infections were so common in these men we have 

 thought it worth while to include them also (Table VI.) 



TABLE VI. HELMINTHIC INFECTIONS AMONGST 524 HEALTHY NATIVE PRISONERS IN 

 THE HADRA PRISON, ALEXANDRIA. 



It will be noted that theJ5. coli and E. histolytica infections are 

 high while the flagellate infections are low. The I-cyst infections 

 are also high. As the results are all based on a single examination 

 it is evident that the infections are really considerably higher 

 than our figures indicate. Nevertheless, the percentages are high 

 enough to justify the conclusion to be drawn. As many as 

 13*5 per cent, of the men were infected with E. histolytica and 

 48'6 per cent, with E. coli. The I-cyst infections were even a little 

 higher than the E. histolytica. It is evident, therefore, that the 

 number of healthy natives infected with E. histolytica, E. coli and 



