ETIOLOGY 115 



S 100. Etiology. /)'iuien'H?/i mal/fi. tht q _ 



specific cause of glanders, was discovered ' G .C:^ — 

 and isolated in pure culture almost at the ^^~ ''-^-ty^ 

 same time (1882) by Loeffler, Schiitz, Gf^VN^' ':-,G 

 Israel, Bouchard, Charrin, Weichselbaum, >^'^ ^ :_ ^ 

 Kauzfeld, and Kitt. It is found in the -" 'i^x^^'o " 

 recent nodules, in the discharge from the pj^ ^o Bacti-r- 



nostrils, pus from the specific ulcers, and iu,n vialU-i. 

 occasionally in the blood of animals affected with glanders. 



Morphologically it is a small organism with rounded or 

 pointed ends. It varies in breadth from 0.25// to o.4/( and 

 from i.5/( to 3/; in length. It is usually single but pairs, and 

 long filaments, especially on potato cultures, are not rare. It 

 frequently breaks up into short, almost coccus-like elements. 



It stains with some difficulty. Of the aniline colors, the 

 best results are obtained when the aqueous solutions of these 

 dyes when the\- are made feebh- alkaline. It is decolorized 

 by Gram's method. 



It grows well, but slowly at the body temperature on 

 gh'cerine agar, in acid-glycerinized bouillon, on blood-serum 

 and on potato. 



Of the test animals, guinea-pigs and field mice are the 

 most susceptible. In guinea-pigs, subcutaneous injections are 

 followed in four or five days bj' swelling at the point of inocu- 

 lation and sloughing of the skin which is followed by the 

 formation of a chronic, purulent ulcer. The lymphatic glands 

 become inflamed and symptoms of general infection develop in 

 from two to four weeks ; the glands suppurate and in males 

 the testicles are involved. A purulent inflammation of the 

 joints may occur. The formation of the specific ulcers upon 

 the nasal mucous membrane, which forms one of the characters 

 of the disease in the horse, rarely occur in the guinea-pig as a 

 result of inoculation. The disease is often prolonged for 

 several weeks or months. Guinea-pigs succumb usualh' in 

 from eight to ten days when injected into the peritoneal cavity. 

 In males, the testicles are invariably affected. 



§ loi. Symptoms, (a) Acute glanders. Acute gland- 

 ers is common in the ass and mule, but infrequent in the 



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