904 Animal Parasites in the Blood. 



clijinatous, or not infrequently a chronic interstitial inflamma- 

 tion ; they may also contain punctif orm hemorrhages. The sub- 

 cntaneou's and intermuscular connective tissue maj" reveal 

 sexually mature filaria free or encapsulated ; in these parts they 

 may be present even when the heart or blood vessels do not 

 contain full grown filaria (v. Eatz). The autopsy finding is 

 further completed by the presence of anemia and of the em- 

 bryos in the blood. ' If accidentally only male filaria, or only 

 unimpregnated females are present in the affected animal, the 

 blood does not contain filaria embryos. On the other hand some- 

 times in spite of the presence of filaria embryos in the blood 

 no sexually mature filaria can be demonstrated (Frohner). 



Symptoms. As long as the filaria and their embryos are 

 present in the blood in only small numbers, their presence is 

 not disclosed by disease symptoms. In severe cases however, 

 after a month or even after a latent stage of years, more rarely 

 immediately from the beginning, s>anptoms of severe anemia 

 and gradually progressing emaciation develop; sometimes an 

 abnormally increased appetite is also observed. Later hemor- 

 rhages appear in the internal organs, in the lungs, intestines 

 and in the kidneys. 



Besides these manifestations which are of general import- 

 ance, local s^anptoms may appear in some of the cases, which 

 are produced either by the thromln developing in the heart 

 or by embolic plugging of small blood vessels. As a result of 

 these, various disturbances of the heart action may develop, 

 which may even lead to paralysis of the heart, hydropic symp- 

 toms, sometimes venous or arterial thrombosis, further epilep- 

 tic convulsions, cough and difficulty in respiration, sjanptoms 

 of nephritis, hematuria, as well as weakness of the hind parts 

 which may increase to complete paralysis. Rheumatoid pains 

 were also observed (Frohner). The blood shows, besides indi- 

 cations of anemia, also a pronounced leucocytosis. (Marek 

 in one case found the relation between white and red blood 

 corpuscles to be 1 :18.) All of these symptoms develop slowly, and 

 without fever, gradually reach a high degree, and the disease 

 extends not infrequently over several years. 



Exceptionally the disease manifests itself only in epileptic fits (Megnin), 

 which may lead to a fatal termination (Earl) or death ensues as the result of a 

 rupture of the right auricle (Schneider, Guittard). 



In certain cases a papular erythema, with the appearance of a diffuse red- 

 dening of the skin, and numerous small and hard nodules and vesicles develop, with 

 which severe itching is associated. Otitis externa also occurs. In the contents of 

 the nodules or vesicles, also in the eczematous or otitic products, embryos of filaria 

 may be demonstrated. 



Diagfnosis. The recognition of the disease is usually only 

 possible by microscopic demonstration of filaria embryos in 

 the blood. A drop of blood placed between a slide and a cover 

 glass without any special treatment, reveals even on slight 



