288 BACTERIOLOGY FOR NURSES 



may normally inhabit the intestines of the insects the evidence is 

 not generally accepted as conclusive. 



Leishmania Infantum. In the southern parts of France, 

 Portugal, Greece, and Italy a disease apparently identical with 

 kala-azar occurs, affecting children between two and five years 

 of age. The fact that in the regions in which it occurs the infec- 

 tion is confined to young children has given rise to the name 

 Leishmania infantum. A similar disease occurs in dogs in the same 

 regions, and the view has been advanced that the infection of 

 children may be through the agency of dog fleas. 



Leishmania Tropica. In the tropics and also in subtropical 

 regions a chronic ulceration of the skin is widely prevalent which 

 is known by various names, such as tropical ulcer, Delhi sore, 

 Aleppo boil, etc. From these ulcers bodies have been obtained 

 which appear to be identical with Leishmania-donovani. The 

 close similarity of the organisms isolated from the three forms of 

 disease suggests that they may be of the same species. Knowledge 

 of their relationship, however, is as yet incomplete. 



