402 PATHOGENIC STREPTOTHRICES 



fluent and form a corrugated, tenacious, orange-colored membrane. 

 The organism does not coagulate milk. 



Cladothrix canis was found by Rabe in cases of peritonitis in dogs 

 and in purulent processes of the skin and subcutaneous connective 

 tissue. In pus and softened lymph glands, the organism appeared 

 as a conglomeration of filaments. The latter were straight, angular 

 or wavy, branching, and also found broken up into bacillary segments. 

 Rabe considered the organism the cause of the pathologic lesions 

 in which it was found. It is uncertain whether the organism is really 

 a cladothrix or whether it is not identical with the Streptothrix canis 

 described below. 



3. Streptothrices. These have been found a number of times in 

 pathologic conditions of domestic animals and man. In the latter 

 Streptothrix infection has been described by Eppinger, Petruschky, 

 Aoyama and Miyamoto, MacCallum, Flexner, Norris and Larkin, 

 Wharthin and Olney, Butterfield, and others. The most interesting 

 Streptothrix infection in man is that known as mycetoma, or madura 

 foot, of which two varieties, a brown and a white occur. The latter 

 is due to the Streptothrix madurse. 



4. Actinomyces. The Streptothrix which forms the typical rosettes 

 in the pathologic lesions which it causes is described fully in Chapter 

 XXXVII. 



PATHOGENIC STREPTOTHRICES. 



Streptothrix Farcinica. The disease known as farcy in cattle, 

 lymphangioitis farciminosa bovis, farcin du boef (French), "Haut- 

 wurm des Rindes" (German), was first described by Sorillon (1829) 

 as being frequently seen in France. Later French writers have also 

 repeatedly mentioned it, but the disease is now rare in France. Nocard, 

 in 1887, discovered a Streptothrix as the cause of the disease. 



The pathologic changes are generally found in the extremities of 

 the animal, on the interior surfaces of which, along the superficial 

 veins, non-painful cords and nodules of very firm consistency appear. 

 Later they sometimes become softer, even fluctuating, and discharge 

 upon section, a whitish, soft, non-fetid mass. Sometimes fluctuating 

 nodules open spontaneously, but the wounds, as a rule, soon heal 

 again. Generally the lesions do not become softened, but remain 

 permanently composed of a firm, tough, fibrous, connective tissue. 

 The disease may exist a year or longer without disturbance of the 

 general condition. Later it occasionally leads to emaciation and 

 even cachexia and death. 



Farcy in cattle is caused by the Streptothrix farcinica, which 

 presents itself in the lesions as branching filaments. The organism is 

 aerobic, and grows best between 30 and 40 C. In bouillon it forms 

 whitish granules which soon fall to the bottom of the tube. On the 

 surface round, dirty gray masses are found, which in reflected light 





