CHAPTER IX 



DISEASES CAUSED BY PROTOZOA 

 GENUS PIROPLASMA. 



§ 263. General discussion of piroplasma. There are 

 several species of piroplasma. Their life history is not known. 

 In the infected animal they live within the blood, often enter- 

 ing into and destroying the red blood corpuscles. They are 

 transmitted from the infected to the uninfected animal by 

 means of some insect usually a tick. The known species of 

 this genus are parasitic and pathogenic in different species of 

 animals. The term Piroplasmoses was introduced by Nocard 

 to designate the diseases produced by these organisms. Ac- 

 cording to his classification Piroplasmoses are diseases resulting 

 from infection with any species belonging to the genus 

 Piroplasma. Nocard recognizes four species, but others have 

 been described more recently. 



Piroplasma bigeminum. — the piroplasma of cattle. 

 Piroplasma ovis — the piroplasma of sheep. 

 Piroplasma canis — the piroplasma of dogs. 

 Piroplasma equi — the piroplasma of horses. . 

 To Americans, Piroplasma bigeminum, the form infecting 

 cattle, is the most important. 



TEXAS FEVER. 



Synonyms. Bovine malaria; red water; Spanish fever; 

 splenic fever; " bloody murrain;" southern cattle fever; tick 

 fever. 



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