MYCOTIC LYMPHANGITIS. 545 



MYCOTIC LYMPHANGITIS." 



By John R. Mohler, V. M. D., 

 Chief of the Pathological Division, Bureau of Animal Industry. 



This disease has been known as epizootic lymphangitis, otherwise 

 pseudo-farcy, or Japanese farcy; it is a chronic contagious disease, 

 particularly of equines, caused by a specific organism, the Saccharo- 

 myces farcimin-osiis, and characterized by a suppurative inflammation 

 of the subcutaneous lymph vessels and the neighboring lymph glands. 

 Owing to the fact that this affection does not spread as an epizootic 

 and that its causal factor is a yeastlike fungus, the name mycotic 

 instead of epizootic lymphangitis is suggested. This disease was first 

 described by Italian and French veterinarians, and the specific organ- 

 ism was discovered by Eivolta in 1873. The presence of the disease 

 in the United States was first observed by Pearson in Penns3dvania in 

 1907, although it is probable that it has existed in various parts of 

 this country for many j^ears. More recently its presence was definitely 

 established in Ohio, Iowa, California, and North Dakota, and there is 

 a probability of its existence in Indiana and several Western States. 

 The disease is also present in the Philippine Islands, Hawaiian 

 Islands, and Porto Kico. 



Bactenology. — The Saccharomyces farciminosus forms slightly 

 ovoid bodies, 3 to 5 microns long and 2.4 to 3.6 microns broad, which 

 are somewhat pointed toward the poles and have a sharp double con- 

 tour. They have more or less of a homogeneous content and grow by 

 budding. This characteristic can be especially well observed in old 

 growths on culture media. Their staining with the ordinary stains 

 is quite unsatisfactory ; they may, however, be readily recognized in 

 fresh smear preparations or in the hanging drop of a small quantity 

 of the suspected pus, where the above-described bodies can be dis- 

 tinctly noticed. 



A satisfactory method of staining the organism is the Claudius 

 method, which is as follows: 



1. Stain with 1 per cent aqueous solution of methyl violet for two 

 minutes. 



2. Wash in water. 



3. Place in a half saturated solution of picric acid for one to two 

 minutes. 



4. Decolorize with chloroform or clove oil. 



5. Treat with xylol. 



6. Mount in Canada balsam. 



« From the Twenty-fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 (1908). 



H. Doc. 795, 59-2 35 



