ANTHRAX BACILLUS 167 



virulent for man, sheep, cattle, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, mules, 

 and horses. Rats rarely succumb. Pigeons, chickens, and dogs 

 are immune. If frogs are kept at a temperature of 30 C. they 

 become susceptible to infection. At their normal temperature they 

 are immune.i The disease produced by this organism is known 

 variously in different countries as Anthrax, Splenic fever, Wool- 

 sorter's disease, Malignant pustule, and Qharbon. It frequently 

 devastates vast herds of sheep, cattle, and goats, and is often a 

 pestilence in European countries, China, and South America. It 



FIG. 56. Anthrax bacilli. Cover-glass has been pressed on a colony and then 

 fixed and stained. (Kolle and Wassermann.) 



appears sporadically in the United States. Its origin in this country 

 can usually be traced to infection from hides or hair imported from 

 abroad. In man it is frequently fatal. The infection is first 

 manifest as a small carbuncle or pustule, from this, rapid general 

 infection, as a rule, ensues. In man and animals anthrax bacilli 

 may be transmitted from mother to foetus via the placenta. The 

 organism is found in enormous numbers in infected bodies, invest- 

 ing all the organs and the blood. Pus is produced, and tissues are 

 degenerated. Infection is accompanied by a high leucocytosis and 

 fever. There is often congestion of the lungs; also an intense fria- 



