BACILLUS MALLEI AND GLANDERS 791 



In horses the chronic form of the disease is by far the more frequent. 

 In man the disease is similar to that of the horse except that the 

 point of origin is more frequently in some part of the skin rather 

 than in the nasal mucosa, and the clinical symptoms differ accord- 

 ingly. The onset is usually violent, with fever and systemic symp- 

 toms. At the point of infection a nodule appears, surrounded by 

 lymphangitis and swelling. A general papular eruption may occur. 

 The papules may become pustular, and the clinical features may 

 thus simulate variola. This type of the disease usually ends fatally 

 in eight to ten days. The chronic form of the disease in man is 

 much like that in the horse, but is more frequently fatal. 



The histological appearance of the glanders nodules is usually 

 one of diffuse leucocytic infiltration and the formation of young 

 connective tissue which preponderates more and more as the disease 

 becomes chronic. Virchow has classed these lesions with the granu- 

 lomata. From the center of such nodules B. mallei may often be 

 obtained in pure culture. The nodules may be generally distributed 

 throughout the internal organs. The bacilli themselves are found, 

 apart from the nodules, in the nasal secretions, and occasionally in 

 the circulating blood. 6 



The bacteriological diagnosis of glanders may be made by isolating 

 and identifying the bacilli from any of the above-mentioned sources. 

 When superficial nodules can be opened for the purpose of diagnosis 

 this may prove an easy task. The most diagnostically helpful 

 medium in such cases is potato. In a majority of cases, however, 

 isolation is extremely difficult and resort must be had to animal 

 inoculation. The most suitable animal for this purpose is the male 

 guinea-pig. Intraperitoneal inoculation of such animals with ma- 

 terial containing glanders bacilli leads within two or three days 

 to tumefaction and purulent inflammation of the testicles. Such 

 an experiment, spoken of as the * ' Strauss test, ' ' 7 should always 

 be reinforced by cultural examination of the testicular pus, the 

 spleen, and the peritoneal exudate of the animals employed. 



Toxin of Bacillus mallei. The toxin of B. mallei, or mallein, 

 belongs to the class of endotoxins. The toxic products have been 

 invariably obtained by extraction of dead bacilli. 8 Mallein differs 



6 Wassilieff, Deut. med. Woch., 1883. 

 ''Strauss, Arch, de mcd. exp., 1889. 



*Kresling, Arch. d. sci. biol., 1892; Preuser, Berl. thierarzt. Woch., 1894. 



