CHAPTER XXXII 



BACILLUS OF SYMPTOMATIC ANTHRAX, BACILLUS OF MALIGNANT 



EDEMA, BACILLUS AEROGENES CAPSULATUS, BACILLUS 



BOTULINUS 



BACILLUS OF SYMPTOMATIC ANTHRAX 



(Bacillus anthracis symptomatici, Rauschbrand, Charbon symptomatique, 

 Sarcophysematos bovis) 



SYMPTOMATIC anthrax is an infectious disease occurring chiefly 

 among sheep, cattle, and goats. It is spoken of as " quarter-evil" or 

 "blackleg." The disease has never been observed in man. It was 

 formerly confused with true anthrax, because of a superficial similarity 

 between the clinical symptoms of the two maladies. Bacteriologically, 

 the two microorganisms are in entirely different classes. 



Symptomatic anthrax is of wide distribution and infection is usually 

 through the agency of the soil in which the bacillus is present, in the 

 form of spores which may retain viability for several years. 



Morphology and Staining. The bacillus of symptomatic anthrax 

 is a bacillus with rounded ends, being about four to six micra long, and 

 five-tenths to six-tenths micra wide. It is usually seen singly and never 

 forms long chains. The bacillus in its vegetative form is actively motile 

 and possesses numerous flagella placed about its periphery. In artificial 

 media it forms spores which are oval, broader than the rod itself, and 

 placed near, though never actually at, the end of the bacillary body. 

 This gives the bacillus a racket-shaped appearance. 



It is readily stained with the usual anilin dyes, but is easily decolor- 

 ized by Gram's method of staining. However, von Hibler claims that 

 when verv carefullv stained the bacillus can be shown to be Gram- 

 positive at least when taken from the animal body. 1 



Cultivation. The bacillus is a strict anaerobe. It was obtained in 

 pure culture first by Kitasato. 2 Under anaerobic conditions it is easily 



1 von Hibler, Kolle, Wassermann, etc., p. 792, vol. iv. 



2 Kitasato, Woch. f . Hyg., 1889. 



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