9 6 



THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN 



Dogs are said to contract the disease by feeding on animals 



dead of surra. 



A variety of T. cvansi is the cause of " mbori " in dromedaries 



in Africa (Sahara and Sudan). Another possible variety, or closely 

 allied form, is T. sondancnse, the causal agent 

 of "el debab " in camels and horses in North 

 Africa, especially Algeria and Egypt. 



An extraordinary example of the possible 

 infection of a human being with an animal 

 trypanosome is recorded in the case of Pro- 

 fessor Lanfranchi, of the Veterinary School, 

 Parma. The Professor became infected with 

 trypanosomes, although only nagana and surra 

 were maintained in his laboratory, and he 

 himself had never visited the tropics. He 

 suffered from irregular attacks of fever and 

 was cedematous, but his mind remained clear. 



FIG. 41. Trypanosoma /-m \A-CL- r \ c 



ansi. x 2,000. (Original. ^ ne identification of the trypanosome from 



From preparation by Fan- Lanfranchi's blood has been a matter of great 



difficulty. Apparently Mesnil and Blanchard 



1 consider the strain found in the patient is almost indistinguish- 

 able in its reactions from T. gambiense, though the parasite is mono- 

 morphic. Lanfranchi considers that he was infected with T. cvansi. 



Trypanosoma equinum, Voges, 1901. 



Syn. : Trypanosoma elmassiani, Lignieres. 



Trypanosoma equinum was found by Elmassian to be the cause of 

 the fatal disease, " mal de caderas," of horses 

 and dogs, in South America (Paraguay, Argen- 

 tine, Bolivia). The name refers to the fact that 

 in the disease, as in other trypanosomiases, 

 the hind quarters become paralysed. Cattle 

 are refractory to inoculation. 



T. equinum is about 22 //, to 24/1 long 

 and about 1*5 //, broad (fig. 42). Although this 

 trypanosome is very active, yet it is charac- 

 terized by the blepharoplast (kinetic nucleus) 

 being very minute or even absent, as the 

 granule sometimes seen may be the basal 



granule Of the flagellum. FIG. 42. Trypanosoma 



The mode of transmission of T. eqninum '?' x 2,000. (After 



... . , . . . . ' Laveran and Mesnil.) 



is not known with absolute certainty. Migone 



has shown that the parasite causes a fatal disease in the large South 



1 Bull. Soc. Path. Exot., vii, p. 196. 



