MALIGNANT (EDEMA. 223 



The spores of the (edema-bacilH appear to be very widely dis- 

 tributed. They ai-e found in the upper cultivated layers of the soil, 

 in hay dust, in decomposing liquids, and especiall}' in the bodies of 

 suffocated animals, which are left to decompose at a high temperature. 

 From any of these sources animals can be successfully inoculated. 

 The bacillus is not only pathogenic in guinea-pigs, rabbits, and 

 mice, but also in man and in farm animals, including calves but not 

 cattle. Pure-cultures inoculated in animals produce oedema at the 

 seat of inoculation 



without appreciable "Tmii' "" 



gas formation and ^'■' ■ ^HLt- v'l--- 



^vithout any putrefac- _ ' 1^ "^ \ 



tive odour. The odour f .■ '^- ■ .4.. 



and frothy effusion j -'_•'„ ~'^~f 



resulting from the in- i ,^. *» ^ 



oculation of earth are f ' . - » . ■^. 



due to other bacteria, ■' si 



which are introduced ^ 



simultaneously with *(' . "? / ~ ^ 



the bacilli of malig- ^ ^V ' \ % ' 



nant cedema. The » ' ■ ^ ■ ^^^ 



spleen is sometimes . ' . ., *^ 



slightly enlarged. By ^ ' 



touching with a cover- _ • - 



glass the capsule of pm, xo5. B.^cilli op Malignant (Edema x lOCiO. 

 the spleen, or by ex- From an agar culture (Fkankel and Pfeiffer). 

 amining the serous 



effusion, the bacilli are found in abundance ; but if a preparation 

 is made from the interior of the spleen or from the blood of 

 the heai't, no bacilli will be found until several hours after 

 death. In this respect there is a marked difference from 

 anthrax. Another difference is shown in spore-formation, which 

 occurs in the living body in malignant cedema, but never in 

 anthrax. Animals which recover from the disease are said to 

 be protected. 



Protective Inoculation. — Roux and Chamberland produced 

 immunity by injecting the chemical products in the filtrate obtained 

 from cultures in broth. The serum from fatal cases will, it is said, 

 confer immunity on other animals. 



There is a variety of this bacillus in soil according to Fliigge, 

 agreeing in morphological and cultural but not in pathogenic 

 charaetei's. 



