Tropical Ulcer 



571 



Organism. — In 1885 Cunningham* described a protozoan organ- 

 ism found in the tropical ulcer, the observation being confirmed 

 by Firth, t who called the bodies Sporozoa furunculosa. Later, 

 J. H. Wrightt studied a case; of tropical ulcer and found bodies pre- 

 cisely hke the Leishmania donovani. He gave it the name Hel- 

 cosoma tropicum. The great similarity to the other organisms has 

 led more recent writers to identify it with Leishmania, but as it 

 induces a local and not a general infection like kala-azar, it is now 

 known as Leishmania furunculosa. 



Cultivation. — The organism has been cultivated by Nicolle and 

 Manceaux§ upon the same media and in the same manner as Leish- 

 mania donovani and Leishmania infantum with which these in- 



Fig. 225.— Oriental sore (Wellcome Research Laboratory). 



vestigators believe' it to be identical. Cultivation was also success- 

 fully achieved by Row. || 



Pathogenesis. — The virus is pathogenic for man, monkeys such 

 as'Macacus simius, M. cynomolgus, M. rhesus and M. inuus, and for 

 dogs. The same effects are produced whether fresh virus from a 

 human ulcer, or from an artificial culture be employed. In dogs 

 the inoculations produce only nodular formations; in monkeys, 

 nodules like those in human beings that go on to ulceration. Intra- 

 peritoneal inoculations usually fail. The most successful inocula- 

 tions are made beneath the skin in the neighborhood of the nose. 



* "Scientific Memoirs by Medical Officers of the Army in India," 1884, i. 

 f'Brit. Med. Jour.," Jan. 10, 1891, p. 60. 

 t "Jour, of Med. Research," 1904, x, 472. 



I "Ann. de I'lnst. Pasteur," 1910, xxw, 683. 



II "Brit. Med. Jour.," 1912, i, 540. 



