156 THE MORE CHRONIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



Diagnosis. Agglutinins are formed in the blood and 

 the clumping test is a valuable means of diagnosis. 

 The bacteria may also be found by making smears and 

 cultures from open ulcers or by withdrawing some of 

 the pus from an abscess. This pus may be injected 

 into the peritoneal cavity of a guinea-pig, obtaining 

 as evidence of the presence of the Bacterium mallei 

 an inflammation of the testis. The most practical 

 method of diagnosticating glanders is by the use of 

 the mallein test. Mallein is the poison elaborated 

 by the Bacterium mallei in laboratory cultures. It is 

 comparable to tuberculin, and may be used like it, by 

 injecting it under or by rubbing it upon the skin. 

 Reactions of temperature or reddening of the skin indi- 

 cates the presence of glanders. The bacilli may be 

 found also in stained smears of the pus lying in pairs 

 on end within the large so-called epithelioid cells. 

 Blood cultures sometimes give a growth. The disin- 

 fection of human material should consist in burning all 

 dressings from ulcers or cloths used to wipe the nose 

 or mouth. Bacteria leave the body only with the 

 purulent discharges. Strong antiseptics such as 1 

 per cent, carbolic acid should be used for the hands 

 and objects possibly soiled by discharges. Glanders 

 is a very infectious disease, and the bacilli are per- 

 tinacious. 



Morphology and General Characteristics. The 

 glanders bacilli are straight or slightly curved rods, 

 usually single, but also in pairs or short filaments, and 

 measure from 2i)1ro o~ to suVo" mcn i n length and from 

 TFoVoT to ^o"o-o"o" mc h m width. They stain with 

 reasonable ease. They grow at 37 C. or 9S F. very 



