376 GLANDERSANTHRAX PYOCYANEUS 



bacilli may remain viable for two months if relatively thick layers 

 are prepared. Dry heat at 160 C. kills anthrax spores within one 

 and a half hours; live steam (100 C.) kills them within ten minutes. 

 Carbolic acid is not very effective as a germicide, but 1 to 1000 bichlo- 

 ride of mercury kills the spores within half an hour. Direct sunlight 

 kills them within six hours. 1 



Products of Growth. Chemical Martin 2 found protoalbumose , 

 deuteroalbumose, a trace of peptone, an alkaloidal substance, and 

 small amounts of leucin and tyrosin in a serum culture of B. anthracis. 

 No acid or gas is produced in any sugar media. The albumoses and 

 peptone caused a febrile reaction in animals, and the alkaloidal sub- 

 stance (anthrax-alkaloid) caused edema and congestion. These results 

 have never been repeated. 3 



Enzymes. Bacillus anthracis produces a proteolytic enzyme which 

 liquefies gelatin, blood serum and casein. No other enzymes are 

 known. 



Toxins. Soluble toxins have not been demonstrated in cultures 

 of anthrax bacilli, and the nature of the endotoxin is unknown the 

 cellular substance of the organism is not as toxic as that of many other 

 pathogenic bacteria, and the nature of the action of the bacillus is 

 not clearly determined. 



Pathogenesis. Animal. Anthrax is a disease of cattle, sheep 4 and 

 horses. Swine are less susceptible. Guinea-pigs, rabbits and white 

 mice are very susceptible to inoculation. Rats and dogs succumb to 

 large doses. Birds and cold-blooded animals are naturally immune, 

 although, as Pasteur showed, the immunity may be overcome by 

 reducing the body temperature of birds and by raising the body tem- 

 perature of cold-blooded animals. 



The artificially-induced . disease in small laboratory animals is 

 usually a rapidly fatal septicemia; the organisms swarm in the blood- 

 vessels and appear upon section to almost occlude the capillaries. 

 The spleen is greatly enlarged and there is congestion of the other 

 glandular organs. Cattle and sheep readily succumb to infection 

 with pure cultures of the organism. The natural infection in cattle 

 and sheep appears to be chiefly through the intestinal tract. In horses 



1 Moment, Ann. Inst. Past., 1892, 23. 



2 Proc. Royal Soc., London, May 22, 1890. Brit. Med. Jour., March 26, April 2, 9, 

 1892. Animal Report Local Government Board, Supplement, 1890-91, xx, 255-266. 



3 It is probable that these substances were produced from the serum by the action of 

 the organism; they cannot be regarded as specific toxic products. 



4 Algerian sheep are said to be more resistant to infection than ordinary sheep. 



