212 VETERINARY BACTERIOLOGY 



findings have been confirmed by the work of Hecker, Raebiger, 

 and Hess. The latter edited a report of the Swiss Veterinary 

 Surgeons Society in 1903, which gives a very complete summary 

 of the knowledge of the disease and its cause. 



Distribution. The disease has been reported from all parts 

 of Europe, and is wide-spread in North America. 



Morphology. The organism occurs in short chains of six to 

 nine individuals, held together by a delicate capsule. It stains 

 readily with common anilin dyes, and is decolorized by Gram's 

 method. This latter differentiates it sharply from the Sir. pyog- 

 enes. 



Isolation and Culture. Isolation may be made upon agar or 

 gelatin. Plate cultures are usually necessary, as there are gener- 

 ally many other bacteria constantly present in the infected vagina. 

 Growth occurs on gelatin (without liquefaction), blood-serum, 

 and agar, particularly glycerinized. It produces a diffuse cloud- 

 ing of bouillon. Acid production is so weak that milk is not 

 coagulated. It will be noted that the latter is also a character 

 which differentiates it from the Str. pyogenes. 



Physiology. The organism is aerobic and facultative anaerobic. 

 Acids are produced in small quantities, if at all, in carbohydrate 

 media. The optimum growth temperature is blood-heat, but 

 good growth occurs at room-temperature. 



Pathogenesis. Experimental Evidence. This organism is not 

 pathogenic for any of the laboratory animals, nor can it produce 

 disease in horses, hogs, sheep, or dogs when inoculated into the 

 vagina. Inoculations of pure cultures into the vagina of heifers 

 has been found to reproduce the disease, so that there seems to be 

 little doubt of its etiologic relation to the disease. It seems to be an 

 example of extreme specialization, such as is found in the organism 

 causing gonorrhea in man. 



Disease and Lesions Produced. The disease in an acute form 

 produces a swelling of the labia of the vulva, with increased secre- 

 tion from the mucous membranes of the vagina. Later the dis- 

 charge becomes purulent, then granules from the size of a pin- 

 head to a rape-seed develop. These are the enlarged lymph-fol- 

 licles of the mucous membrane. The acute stage lasts usually 

 for several weeks, the discharge becomes less prominent, and 



