Pseudotuberculosis. g31 



under the general name of pseudotuberculosis. Preisz, how- 

 ever, suggested that this term be limited exclusively to morbid 

 processes that are produced by bacteria other than Koch's 

 bacillus. In this sense the subject will be discussed below. 



Malassez & Vignal (1883) found tuberele-like nodules following 

 subcutaneous administration of a nodule obtained from a child that 

 died with tuberculous meningitis. The nodules in the guinea pig, how- 

 ever, contained zoogloea masses composed of cocci and short bacilli 

 instead of Koch's bacillus. Since then other nodular structures, some 

 of them the results of experimental inoculation of animals with various 

 substances, others accidentally discovered, have been described. After 

 a careful study of the literature up to 1891 and a comparison of 

 the bacteria found by Nocard, Pfeiffer, Parietta and Zagari, Preisz 

 designated the following three species of bacteria as independent causes 

 of pseudotuberculous processes: 



1. Streptococcus Pseudotuberculosis Rodentium Dor; a thick, 

 short, immotile l^acillus with blunt round ends ; frequently form long 

 chains in tissue as well as in artificial media, particularly in bouillon; 

 easily stained with aqueous aniline dyes, but not according to Gram's 

 method; does not liquefy gelatin, forms an iridescent membrane on 

 agar and emits a disagreeable odor ; on potatoes yellowish-brown colonies 

 develop, the medium taking on a greenish-gray color in the surrounding 

 areas. Inoculation of pure cultures produce pseudotuberculosis in 

 rabbits and guinea pigs with fatal termination in 8 to 10 days. 



This bacillus is identical with the bacillus described by Malassez 

 & Vignal, Charrin & Roger, Pfeiffer, Zagari & Parietti under various 

 names, inherculose zoogleique, pseudotuhercidose hacillaire, tuhercuosc 

 sfrepfohacillaire, etc., and to the action of which various morbid 

 processes in guinea pigs and rabbits have been ascribed. It is also 

 very similar to Bact. pseudotuberculare orchitophlogogenes recognized 

 by Cagnetto as the cause of a certain guinea pig enzootic. This bacillus 

 seems to be widely disseminated in nature ; Chantemesse found it in 

 the dust of dwellings, Grancher & Ledoux-Lebard found it in garden 

 soil, Lignieres in hay infusion, Parietti in milk. According to Nocard 

 it occasionally causes epizootic affections of fowls (emaciation, tubercles 

 in the lungs). Nocard also found this organism in the nasal discharge 

 of a cow while Pfeiffer cultivated the same from the organs of a 

 horse affected with glanders. In addition to this it is probable that 

 the bacilli found by Labrazes in subcutaneous cheesy foci in the neck 

 of a pigeon, and by Galavielle and t'Hoen in nodules of a cat's liver, 

 are identical, forming chain-like structures in bouillon and causing 

 pseudotuberculosis in cats and guinea pigs. Those mentioned by 

 Galavielle also produced pseudotuberculosis in the testes of guinea 

 pigs. 



2. Courmont's Bacillus. Up to the present time this has been 

 found only in nodules resembling those of pearl disease observed on 

 the pleura of a cow. This is a short, thick bacillus, actively motile, 

 does not form chains in cultures. It grows well on artificial media, 

 does not liquefy gelatin and forms long threads at 40° C. These latter 

 contained broken plasma masses. Fresh cultures cause the develop- 

 ment of pseudotuberculosis in rabbits while in guinea pigs acute 



