CHAPTER VII. 



FARCIN DU BCEUF. 



THE peculiar disease which sometimes affects numbers 

 of cattle in Guadeloupe, and which was described by 

 the older writers as farcin du bceuf, has been carefully 

 studied by Nocard. It is a disease of cattle character- 

 ized by a superficial lymphangitis and lymphadenitis, 

 affecting the tracheal, axillary, prescapular, and other 

 glands. The affected glands enlarge, suppurate, and 

 discharge a creamy, sometimes a grumous, pus. The 

 internal organs are often affected with a pseudo-tubercu- 

 losis whose central areas undergo a purulent or caseous 

 degeneration. 



In the researches of Nocard it was discovered, by 

 staining by Gram's and by Kiihne's methods, that in 

 the centres of the tubercles micro-organisms could be 

 defined. They resembled long delicate filaments rather 

 intricately woven, characterized by distinct ramifications 

 which made clear the proper classification of the organ- 

 ism as a streptothrix. The organism was successfully 

 cultivated by Nocard upon various culture-media at the 

 temperature of the body. It is aerobic. 



In bouillon the organism develops in the form of color- 

 less masses irregular in size and shape, some of which 

 float upon the surface, others of which sink to the bottom 

 of the liquid. Sometimes the surface is covered by an 

 irregular fenestrated pellicle of a gray color. 



Upon agar-agar the growth develops in small, rather 

 discrete, irregularly rounded, opaque masses of a yellow- 

 ish-white color. The surfaces of the colonies are tuber- 

 culated, and an appearance somewhat like a lichen is 

 observed. 



216 



