60 REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



oculated by inserting some purulent matter from the ulcerated septum under the 

 skin. It died December 13. At the place of inoculation just behind the right fore 

 limb an ulcer covered with a thin scab. Underneath, a thin grayish layer of pus. 

 Near this ulcer is a nodul equal in size to a small bean containing soft curdy pus. 

 The inguinal gland of the same side is equally large, one-half of it converted into 

 pus. Spleen pale, slightly enlarged, and dotted with a large number of grayish 

 points. Testicles in abdomen not yet affected, but the fold of skin surrounding 

 anus on the left thickened and superficially ulcerated. On section a number of 

 'yellowish nodules in the thickened fold. One retro-peritoneal gland as large as a 

 marble and converted into pus. Convex surface of both lungs dotted with a small 

 number of bright-red points. . 



From the spleen and from the abscess under the skin three potato cultures and 

 one agar culture were made. All developed numerous characteristic colonies of 

 glanders bacilli on the third day. 



An inspection of the autopsy notes will show that nearly all inocu- 

 lated guinea pigs showed unmistakable signs of the disease, and that 

 only a few recovered. Of those that were killed the lesions were 

 such as to preclude recovery. In most cases the diagnosis of gland- 

 ers could be made without having recourse to cultivation. In order 

 to be thus successful it is necessary to observe strictly the method 

 given for inoculation, and to avoid the error of using too small a 

 quantity of the nasal discharge. It will also be noted that the lesions 

 characteristic of glanders in guinea pigs did not all appear in the 

 same animal. In some, enlargement and suppuration of the inguinal 

 glands was the only external sign; in others swelling and suppuration 

 of the testicles took place. Again, abscesses becoming ulcers later 

 on appeared in different parts of the body, combined with swelling 

 of the limbs. When the external lesions were prominent internal 

 lesions were generally less marked. The formation of nodules in 

 the spleen was infrequent, in the lungs rare, and in the liver observed 

 in but one case. In general, internal changes were secondary to ex- 

 ternal. 



Cultivation of glanders bacilli from inoculated guinea pigs is al- 

 ways desirable though not absolutely necessary in many cases. The 

 foregoing notes show that pure cultures may always be obtained from 

 still unopened abscesses under the skin, such as those of glands and 

 testicles, by following the method already mentioned, i. e., thoroughly 

 scorching the surface of the skin after removing the hair and then 

 making the incision through the scorched area. This makes unnec- 

 essary the use of disinfectants. Cultures from the spleen are not al- 

 ways successful, when those from the abscesses are, perhaps because 

 the bacilli are not always present in the internal organs in numbers 

 large enough to inoculate a culture tube. Hence, it is always advis- 

 able to inoculate from any abscess that can be reached from the skin 

 or any suppurating gland in the abdomen. 



Cultures from the spleen were made by tearing off a bit of spleen 

 pulp from the carefully exposed spleen and rubbing it gently with 

 the platinum wire over the agar or potato surface, so as to free the 

 bacilli from the tissue and distribute them over a larger surface. In 

 this way very fine cultures of isolated colonies on potato can be ob- 

 tained, which in the earliest stages, when the. colonies just begin to 

 be visible to the naked eye after a sojourn in the thermostat at 37 C. 

 for forty-eight to seventy-two hours, are very characteristic. The 

 agar cultures I have found less characteristic and hence less valu- 

 able for purposes of diagnosis. Cultures from the pus of abscesses 

 contain a much larger number of colonies, and these are apt to be con- 

 fluent unless a very small quantity is used. It is best to make sev- 

 eral inoculations with different quantities of pus. 



