EAST AFRICAN COAST FEVER 351 
from infected animals into the abdominal cavity. Twelve days after 
this inoculation the parasites appeared in the blood and simultaneously 
there was a rise in temperature. Stockman produced the disease in 
cattle in England with the nymphs of the brown ticks, sent there from 
Africa. The infection always takes place while the cattle are at 
pasture. It seems to be more prevalent after the rainy season where 
the grass is high as the ticks, which are present in large numbers, 
easily get upon the cattle. Healthy cattle become infected by being 
pastured with animals from infected localities or even by driving 
them over infected pastures. 
A few writers consider the possibility of this disease being due to an 
ultra-microscopic organism. ‘They consider P. mutans and P. parvum 
to be identical. They point out that animals which have recovered 
from East Coast fever are no longer infectious for ticks. 
The period of incubation is according to Theiler from 10 to 12 days 
after exposure to infected pastures. 
Symptoms. The symptoms are a high fever, difficult respiration, 
salivation, passing of dry or bloody tar-like feces, swelling of the sub- 
maxillary lymph glands, emaciation and weakness, especially of the 
hind quarters. The appetite remains normal for some days. Anemia, 
icterus and hemoglobinuria are rare. According to Theiler, there 
may be an acute, rapidly fatal form and a chronic form, characterized 
by transitory fever and jaundice. At the height of the fever, the 
parasites are present in a large percentage of the red blood corpuscles 
but destruction of the corpuscles is slight. Cattle that have recovered 
from Texas fever or P. bigeminum infection, if exposed to East Coast 
fever, develop that disease and in the blood of the animal the parasites 
of both diseases are found. 
The duration is not long. Most of the infected animals die. 
Morbid anatomy. The lesions are punctiform hemorrhages in the 
subcutaneous and subserous connective tissue, enlargement of the 
lymph glands and edema of the lungs. There is congestion or 
ulcerative inflammation of the intestinal mucous membrane and true 
stomach. The spleen is not enlarged. Peculiar wedge-shaped 
infarcts are described in the cortex of the kidney. Koch has described 
specific bodies, so-called plasma spheres, in the swollen lymph glands, 
in the spleen and in the diseased foci of the liver and in the infarcts of 
the kidneys as well as in the borders of the ulcers of the mucous mem- 
brane and also in the blood. When stained after Giemsa they appear 
