752 Glanders 



diagnosis is certain if a culture of the glanders bacillus be secured 

 from the pus in the scrotum. 



For the diagnosis of the disease in living animals, subcutaneous 

 injections or ophthalmic instillations of mallein (q.v.) are also em- 

 ployed. 



McFadyen* was the first to recommend agglutination of the 

 glanders bacillus by the serum of supposedly infected animals as a 

 test of the existence of glanders. The subject has been somewhat 

 extensively tried and officially adopted by the Prussian govern- 

 ment. Moore and Taylor, f in a recent review and examination of 

 the test, conclude that it is easier and quite as accurate as the mallein 

 method and is applicable in cases where fever exists. The maximum 

 dilution of normal horse-serum that will macroscopically agglutinate 

 glanders bacilli is i : 500, but occurs in very few cases. The maxi- 

 mum agglutinative power of the serum of diseased horses not suffer- 

 ing from glanders is not higher than that of normal serum. The 

 diagnosis is usually not difficult to make, but requires much care. 

 Cultures of the glanders bacillus sometimes unexpectedly lose their 

 ability to agglutinate. 



The diagnosis of glanders by means of the complement-fixation 

 method has been tried with success by Mohler and Eichhorn.t 



Cultivation. — The bacillus is an aerobic and optionally anaerobic 

 organism, and can be grown in bouillon, upon agar-agar, better upon 

 glycerin agar-agar, very well upon blood-serum, and quite character- 

 istically upon potato. 



Temperature Reactions. — The optimum temperature is 37.s°C. 

 Growth^ scarcely occurs at less than 25°C. and ceases entirely at 

 43°C. The thermal death-point is between 55° and 6o°C. 



Colonies. — Upon 4 per cent, glycerin agar-agar plates the colonies 

 appear upon the second day as whitish or pale yellow, shining, round 

 dots. Under the microscope they are brownish yellow, thick and 

 granular, with sharp borders. 



Bouillon.— r-In broth cultures the glanders bacillus causes turbidity, 

 the surface of the culture being covered by a slimy scum. The 

 medium becomes brown in color. 



Gelatin is not liquefied. The growth upon the surface is grayish 

 white and slimy, never abundant. 



Agar-agar. — Upon agar-agar and glycerin agar-agar the growth 

 occurs as a scanty moist, shining, viscid, grayish or slightly yellow- 

 ish layer, confined to the path of the inoculating wire. 



Blood-serum. — Upori blood-serum the growth is rather character- 

 istic, the colonies along the line of inoculation appearing as cir- 

 cumscribed, clear, transparent drops, which later become confluent 

 and form a transparent layer unaccompanied by liquefaction. 



* "Jour. Comp. Path, and Therap.," 1896, p. 322. 



t "Jour. Infectious Diseases," 1907, iv, p. 85, supplement. 



t "Report of the Bureau of Animal Industry," 1910 



