RHABDITIS PELLIO 1 275 



THE NEMATODES OBSERVED IN MAN. 

 (a) Fam. Anguillulidce. 



Gen. i. Rhabditis, Du jar din, 1845. 



Small anguillulidae with double dilatation of the oesophagus ; no teeth 

 in the oral cavity ; two short spicules provided with accessory pieces ; no 

 lateral ridges. 



i. Rhabditis pellio (Schneider), 1866. 

 Syn. : Pelodera pellio , Serin. , 1866 ; Rhabditis genitalis, Scheiber, 1880. 



Males, O'8 1*05 mm. in length; females, 0*9 1-3 mm. in 

 length. The posterior extremity of the body of the male has a 

 heart-shaped bursa, and seven to ten ribs on each side ; the 

 bursa may, however, be lacking. The spicules measure 0^027 

 0*033 mm. in length, ,but are never quite alike. The posterior 

 extremity of the female is long and pointed ; the vulva lies 

 somewhat behind the middle of the body, the 'ovary is single, 

 the eggs are oval, 0*06 0*035 mm. 



This species was found in Stuhlweissenburg by Scheiber in the acid 

 urine (containing albumen, pus and blood) of a woman suffering from 

 pyelonephritis, pneumonia and acute intestinal catarrh ; the observer was 

 able to convince himself that the Nematodes which were found during the 

 whole period of the illness lived in the vagina, and were evacuated with 

 the urine. 



Oerley proved that this species had long been known ; during 

 its larval stage it lives in earth-worms (Anguillula mucronata, Grube, 

 1849) ; in its adult stage it lives in decomposing matter in the 

 soil. By introducing individuals of this species into the vagina 

 of mice, Oerley succeeded in obtaining their settlement and 

 multiplication (facultative parasitism). These Nematodes must like- 

 wise by some means have attained the vagina of Scheiber's 

 patient. 



Two other cases described by Baginsky and Peiper probably 

 belonged to the same or a nearly-related species. 



LITERATURE. 



SCHEIBER, S. H. Ein Fall von mikr. kleinen Rundwiirmern im Urin einer 



Kranken. (Virchow's Arch., 1880, Ixxxii., p. 161.) 



OERLEY, L. Die Rhabditiden u. ihre medicin. Bedeutung. Berlin, 1886. 

 BAGINSKY. Haemoglobinurie mit Auftreten von Rhabditiden im Urin. (Dtsch. 



med. Wochenschr., 1887, No. 27, p. 604.) 

 PEIPER AND WESTPHAL. Ueber das Vorkommen von Rhabditiden im Harne bei 



Haematurie. (Centralbl. f. klin. Med., 1888, ix., p. 145.) 



