PSEUDO-TUBERCULOSIS 151 



On Potatoes, a yellowish coating. 



In Bouillon a flaky cloudiness occurs at first, then a sediment is 

 formed, the upper portions of the medium becoming clear. 



Pathogenesis. The bacillus of pseudo-tuberculosis is pathogenic 

 for guinea-pigs, death occurring in five to six days, also for dogs and 

 horses. The post-mortem lesions resemble those of genuine (Koch) 

 tuberculosis, especially in the abdominal organs, which the pseudo- 

 bacillus especially attacks. The differential diagnosis is, however, not 

 difficult, the easy staining and the quick growth of the pseudo-bacillus 

 yielding a distinction without difficulty. 



Courmont also describes a bacillus found in tubercular lesions of the 

 pleura of the ox (the bacilli of Koch being absent). This bacillus is 

 short, with its substance condensed at both ends, and a clear, slightly 

 constricted middle ; it does not form chains or diplococci. It is both 

 aerobic and anaerobic, grows quickly, is easily cultivated in all kinds of 

 media up to 46 C. It is pathogenic for guinea-pigs, which die in four 

 to eight days with generalized tuberculosis, and for rabbits, in which 

 disseminated and confluent tubercles are found in the spleen, liver, and 

 lungs. The bacillus is also found in the blood of inoculated animals, 

 and it also becomes generalized without affecting the lymphatic glands. 

 The pseudo-tuberculosis caused by the higher organized vegetable 

 parasites likewise manifests itself, especially in animals. Different forms 

 of streptothrix and aspergilli, particularly the Aspergillus glaucus and 

 fumigatus, require consideration. Pigeons often succumb from a 

 miliary tuberculosis, the Aspergillus fumigatus being found present in 

 the interior of the granulations. Lung affections are also sometimes 

 observed in individuals engaged in the feeding of pigeons, which are 

 apparently due to the same parasite at least the Aspergillus fumigatus 

 is found in the expectoration of these patients. It is probable that the 

 parasite is conveyed w r ith the grain used to feed the pigeons. Eppinger 

 records a case of pseudo-tuberculosis in man due to the Streptothrix 

 Eppinger, see page 108. 



Valee has recently, in the Recueil de Medecine ffeterinaire, described a 

 new form of pseudo-tuberculosis in calves due to an organism which is 

 much smaller than that of swine erysipelas. It occurs either isolated or 

 in small masses in the diseased tissues, and stains by the Gram-Nicolle 

 process. When isolated and cultivated on the different media, it pro- 

 duces the original lesions in the various animals experimented upon. 

 The principal lesions in the affected calves are in the liver, which is 

 normal in size, but covered with fine granulations or tubercles of a 

 greyish colour, in some cases confluent. There was also a slight peri- 

 hepatitis, and the tissue of the gland was very friable. 



