776 Glanders 



Distribution. The glanders bacillus does not seem to 

 find conditions outside the animal body suitable for its 

 growth, and probably lives a purely parasitic existence. 



Morphology. The glanders bacillus is somewhat shorter 

 and distinctly thicker than the tubercle bacillus, and has 

 rounded ends. It measures about 0.25 to 0.4 X 1.5 to 3 [*, 

 and is slightly bent; coccoid and branched forms sometimes 

 occur. It usually occurs singly, though upon blood-serum, 

 and especially upon potato, conjoined individuals may occa- 

 sionally be found. Long threads are never formed. 



Fig- 253. Bacillus mallei, from a culture upon glycerin agar-agar. 

 X looo (Frankel and Pfeiffer). 



When stained with ordinary aqueous solutions of the 

 aniline dyes, or with Loffler's alkaline methylene-blue, the 

 bacillary substance does not usually appear homogeneous, 

 but, like that of the diphtheria bacillus, shows marked in- 

 equalities, some area being deeply, some faintly, stained. 



The bacillus is non-motile, has no flagella, and does not 

 form spores. 



Staining. The organism can be stained with the watery 

 anilin-dye solutions, but not by Gram's method. The bacil- 

 lus readily gives up the stain in the presence of decolorizing 

 agents, so is difficult to stain in tissues. Loffler accomplished 

 the staining by allowing the sections to lie for some time 

 (five minutes) in the alkaline methylene-blue solution, then 



