THE INFUSORIA 



831 



FIG. 405. Balantidium 

 minutum. (After Schaudinn.) 



Balantidium minutum. 



This parasite was first discovered by Jacobi and Schaudinn at Strasbourg 

 in the intestines of a ship's cook. It has since been found in Berlin 

 twice (once in association with Nyctotherus faba) ; and in Porto Rico in 

 several cases of dysentery together with Balantidium 

 coli. 



It is pyriform in shape and only measures 20-30/x x 

 15-20/u. The macronucleus is spherical and situated 

 centrally, the micronucleus is attached to it. There 

 is only one contractile vacuole. 



Golpoda cucullus. 



This parasite is very commonly found in marshes 

 and can live in the human intestine : it was found by 

 Schultz in the intestine of a person suffering from 

 dysentery. Morphologically it is very like Balanti- 

 dium minutum with which it is possibly identical. 



[Stokvis and Swellengrebel have shown that living 

 Colpoda cucullus will purify water of bacteria present 

 in it.] 



Nyctotherus faba. 



This parasite was twice found by Jacobi and Schaudinn once in Berlin and 

 once in Strasbourg. It has the shape of an haricot bean : the mouth occu- 

 pies the anterior one-half of the concave side. The macronucleus is spherical 

 and has the micronucleus attached to it. It has only 

 a single contractile vacuole (fig. 406). 



Chilodon dentatus. 



This organism was found by Guiart in Paris in the 

 stools of a woman suffering from dysenteric colitis. 

 Its common habitat is water. The parasite is an oval- 

 shaped Infusorium (35-55/u, x 25-35/x), the ventral surface 

 being flattened and the dorsal markedly convex. At 

 its anterior part it shows a flexible and membranous 

 prolongation of the ectoplasm having several rows of 

 long flagella on its lower surface. The ventral surface 

 , . [G - W- Nyctotherus o f ^he parasite appears to be covered with very short 



faba. (After Schaudinn.) r rr w J 



flagella while the dorsal surface is bare. I he moutn 

 is centrally placed towards the anterior part of the endoplasm : its margins 

 are covered by chitinous rods. The macronucleus is rounded and situated 

 towards the posterior part of the body : the micronucleus is attached to 

 it. There are two contractile vacuoles one in front of, the other behind, 

 the nucleus. 



