276 DOURINE 



In the active cutaneous or mucous lesions the parasite is 

 usually found abundantly in the blood, semen, milk, vaginal 

 secretions and the erosions of the vaginal mucosa and penis. 

 During intermissions, however, and in the absence of local 

 lesions, the parasites are not found in the blood on microscopic 

 examination, yet the inoculation of the blood into a dog will 

 usually produce the disease. The parasite disappears from 

 the blood and tissues very rapidly after death, so that, to prove 

 successful, inoculations should be made from an infected indi- 

 vidual before or immediately after death. The\' are not effec- 

 tive after forty-eight hours. 



Schneider and BufFard, Nocard and others found the try- 

 panosoma in the blood and exudates of horses, asses and dogs, 

 suffering from dourine. They failed to find it in the same 

 localities in animals of the same species which were free from 

 dourine. The infected blood preserved for 24 hours in sealed 

 glass tubes, and then inoculated into dogs produced character- 

 istic symptoms and lesions with the manj' trypanosoma in the 

 blood. Inoculation into two other dogs, with the same 

 material, but at the end of 48 hours, produced a slight 

 transient hyperemia only, without local lesions or propagation 

 of the parasite in the blood. The blood from the same animal 

 inoculated after fifteen daj's gave negative results. 



§ 208. Symptoms. The first local changes in the genital 

 organs begin after a period of incubation, according to 

 Maresch, of from eight days to two months. The first symp- 

 tom in the stallion consists in the swelling of the glans penis. 

 Reddish spots, vesicles and ulcers may occur on the outer sur- 

 face of the penis. The meatus urinarius is reddened and 

 swollen and exhibits a mucous discharge. The animal has a 

 continuous desire to micturate and frequently manifests sexual 

 excitement. The swelling also spreads from the penis to the 

 sheath and scrotum in which case the testicles become in- 

 flamed. Finally, the inguinal glands and lymph vessels 

 become involved. These local affections may, as the disease 

 advances, almost entirely dissappear. In some cases the ex- 

 ternal changes are absent, as the mucous membrane of the 



Digitized by IVIicrosoft® 



