CHAPTEE XXVI. 



GLANDERS BACILLUS. 



Occurrence and Historical. Glanders, malleus, malleosis, farcy, 

 "Rotz" (German), "morve" (French), is a disease which has been 

 known to mankind for a long time. The name glanders refers to the 

 lymph-gland-like swelling and to the swelling of the lymph glands. 

 The designation malleus, malleosis, morve, is derived from a Greek 

 word meaning a bad disease, and the German word "Rotz" is a 

 generally employed but rather vulgar designation for a mucopurulent 

 discharge from the nose. It is claimed that the word malleus was 

 introduced by the celebrated Greek philosopher and naturalist, 

 Aristo teles. The contagious nature of the disease among horses was 

 recognized as early as the fourth century after Christ, but this fact 

 was afterward forgotten and not rediscovered until about 200 years 

 ago. 



This infectious, contagious disease is found particularly among 

 equines, but it is also communicable to man, sheep, goats, camels, 

 carnivora, etc. Laboratory animals, like guinea-pigs, rabbits, etc., are 

 likewise very susceptible. It is caused by a microorganism known 

 as the Bacillus mallei, first discovered in 1882 by Loeffler and Schiitz. 

 Cattle are absolutely immune to the Bacillus mallei; pigs are very 

 slightly susceptible and can be infected only with difficulty. Domestic 

 birds are likewise immune. 



Glanders is very prevalent almost over the entire world. It is 

 found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. It has been introduced 

 into the Philippine Islands, but so far it has been excluded from 

 Australia, including Tasmania and New Zealand. 



Mode of Infection and Pathologic Changes. The disease may take 

 either an acute, a subacute, or a very chronic course, the latter extend- 

 ing over years, and in each case it leads to local inflammatory changes, 

 with the formation of granulation tissue. The glanders bacillus 

 frequently gains entrance through the upper respiratory passages, 

 and first becomes localized in the nasal mucosa; but it also frequently 

 enters through wounds and abrasions of the skin or epithelial covering. 

 From the portal of entrance the glanders bacillus spreads along the 

 lymphatics, w^here it multiplies; later it invades the lymph glands and 

 finally the internal organs. The infection is spread from animal to 

 animal by direct contact or by coughing, in consequence of which 

 small expelled particles of morbid material coming from a diseased 

 animal are inhaled by a healthy one. The infection is spread indirectly 



