428 PSEUDOFARCY, OR EPIZOOTIC LYMPHANGITIS 



exhibited by the eosin-alkaline methylene-blue method of Mallory. 

 In artificial cultures they often form thick membranes or pellicles on the 

 surface of the culture medium and some of them form zoogleal masses. 



PSEUDOFARCY, OR EPIZOOTIC LYMPHANGITIS. 



Occurrence and Pathologic Lesions. Under the above names a disease 

 of horses, which is also known as saccharomycosis, or blastomycosis 

 farcimihosus, has been described. Clinically it resembles the cutaneous 

 type of glanders, or farcy, and has therefore been called pseudofarcy. 

 It was first described by Italian and French observers; later it was 

 reported from Japan and other Asiatic countries, including the 

 Philippine Islands, where it was found by Strong. A few cases have 

 also been encountered in the United States. The pathologic changes 

 present themselves as hypertrophies of the subcutaneous connective 

 tissue, particularly along the lymphatics. The tissue increase leads 

 to the formation of distinct nodules. If these are incised they generally 

 discharge a thick pus or coagulated lymph, which, under the micro- 

 scope, shows yeast-cell-like bodies both within and without the tissue 

 cells. The lymph glands in the neighborhood of the nodules are 

 swollen; they sometimes contain purulent foci which show the para- 

 sites. The latter may also form metastatic foci in the internal organs. 

 According to Tokishige the disease has also been observed in cattle 

 in Japan. 



Morphology. The parasite found in the purulent and necrotic 

 foci was first seen by Rivolta and named Cryptococcus farciminosus. 

 As later observations have shown it belongs to the budding fungi. 

 The organisms show a double contoured membrane; they are round 

 or oval, and measure from 2 to 4 micra in length and 2.5 to 3.6 micra 

 in width. The poles of the oval bodies are generally somewhat pointed, 

 sometimes buds are seen on the cells which are found in the pathologic 

 product. The contents of the parasitic cells are sometimes perfectly 

 homogeneous; at other times they show a small coccus-like nucleus 

 (0.5 to 1 micron in diameter), or contain in their interior rather 

 coarse protoplasmic granules. Tissue cells often are full of the 

 parasites, and a number of them may also be seen in leukocytes. 

 The pus also contains shrunken, irregular, or crescentic blastomyces. 

 The organisms stain with the ordinary watery anilin stains, and are 

 Gram positive. 



Cultural Properties. Tokishige and others have obtained pure 

 cultures of these blastomyces. They grow in agar, gelatin, bouillon, 

 on potatoes, and in other media, but the development is very slow. The 

 colonies may be visible after ten days, or it may take thirty days 

 before they appear. On agar they form grayish-white elevated 

 granules from 1 to 4 mm. in diameter, which become somewhat con- 

 fluent, and form worm-like or intestine-like conglomerations. The 



