CHAPTER VIII. 

 FARCIN DU BOEUF* 



ACTINOMYCES FARCINICA. 



General Characteristics. A parasitic, pathogenic, aerobic and 

 optionally anaerobic, non-motile, non-flagellate, sporogenous (?), non- 

 liquefying, branched organism pathogenic for cattle, belonging to the 

 higher bacteria, and staining by Gram's method. 



A peculiar disease of cattle common in Guadeloupe and 

 occasionally observed elsewhere was described by the older 

 writers as farcin du boeuf. It is characterized by a superficial 

 lymphangitis and lymphadenitis, extending to 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 resulting pseudo-tuberculosis whose central areas undergo 

 purulent or caseous degeneration. 



Nocard* found that after staining with Gram's and Kiihne's 

 methods peculiar micro-organisms could be defined in the 

 centers of the tubercles. These he described as Bacillus 

 du Farcin. Trevisan, in 1889, recognizing that they were 

 not bacilli, created a new genus for them and described 

 the organisms as Nocardia farcinica. In 1891 Rossi-Doria f 

 included it among the streptothrices, calling it Strepto- 

 thrix farcinica. According to the nomenclature adopted by 

 the author, it appears to be more correctly described as an 

 actinomyces than as a streptothrix. 



Morphology. The organisms consist of long delicate 

 filaments intricately woven, and are characterized by distinct 

 branching, which make clear their proper classification 

 among the actinomycetes. The organism was successfully 

 cultivated by Nocard upon various culture media at the 

 temperature of the body. It is aerobic. 



Microscopic study of the cultures reveals the same mass 

 of tangled branched filaments seen in the tissues. Old 



* "Ann. de 1'Inst. Pasteur," 1888, t. n, p. 293. 



t "Annali de Hnstituto d'igiene sperimentale di Roma," 91. 



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