CHAPTER XXXV. 



GLANDERS BACILLUS. 



BACILLUS MALLEI (Bacillus of Glanders). 



THIS bacillus was discovered and proved to be the 

 cause of glanders by isolation in pure culture and com- 

 munication to animals by inoculation, by several bacte- 

 riologists almost at the same time (1882), viz., by the 

 investigations of Loftier, Schiitz, Israel, Bouchard, 

 Charrin, Weichselbaum, Kauzfeld, and Kitt. It is 

 found in the recent nodules in animals affected with 

 glanders, and in the discharge from the nostrils, pus 

 from the specific ulcers, etc., and occasionally in the 

 blood. 



Morphology. Small bacilli with rounded or pointed 

 ends, from 0.25/* to 0.4^ broad and from 1.5// to 3// 

 long; usually single, but sometimes united in pairs, or 

 growing out to long filaments, especially in potato cul- 

 tures. Frequently breaks up into short, almost coccus- 

 like elements (Fig. 81). 



The bacillus mallei stains with difficulty with the 

 aniline colors, best when the aqueous solutions of these 

 dyes are made feebly alkaline; it is decolorized by 

 Gram's method. This bacillus presents the peculiarity 

 of losing very quickly in decolorizing solutions the color 

 imparted to it by the aniline staining solutions. For 

 this reason it is difficult to stain in sections. Loffier 

 recommends his alkaline methylene-blue solution for 



