CHAPTER IX 

 INFECTIOUS DISEASES DUE TO PROTOZOA 



SPIROCHETOSIS 



Launoy and Lcvy-Bruhl infected fowls intramuscularly with 

 cultures of Spirochaeta gallinarum. Spirochetes appeared in the 

 peripheral blood in 48 hours. The septicemia lasted three days 

 when virulent cultures were used and five days with attenuated 

 cultures. There was an early very intense anemia followed by 

 regeneration of the red cells in the cases that recovered. The 

 greatest anemia they found to be usually at about the fifth day. 

 The following are examples of their experimental cases, showing 

 the changes in the number of red cells, given in millions per cmm. 

 The first one (R 1 ) was infected with strong virus, the second (Z) 

 with weaker. 



The leucocytes were increased, from 35,000 to 40,000, excep- 

 tionally to 50,000. In some fatal cases the leucocytes reached 

 80,000. The leucocytic formula is reported to vary but slightly 

 in different fowls. There seems to have been an increase in the 

 polymorphs during the period of septicemia followed by an in- 

 crease of lymphocytes. A few myelocytes were observed during 

 the height of the septicemia. The eosinophiles decreased during 

 the septicemia. The following table shows the changes in the 

 leucocytes in the case reported by Launoy and Levy-Bruhl. 

 \\ li.it they call "polynucleaires pseudo-6osinophiles" and "neo- 

 polynucle: lires" are evidently polymorphonuclears. 



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