312 



GLANDERS 



lesions, in which they may be found in considerable numbers ; 

 but in the chronic nodules, especially when softening has taken 

 place, they are few in number, and it may be impossible to find 

 any in sections. 



Staining. — The glanders bacillus differs widely from the 

 tubercle bacillus in its staining reactions. It stains with simple 

 watery solutions of the basic stains, but somewhat faintly (better 

 when an alkali or a mordant, such as carbolic acid, is added), and 

 even when deeply stained it readily loses the colour when a 

 decolorising agent such as alcohol is applied. It is Gram- 

 negative. In film pre- 

 parations from fresh glan- 

 ders nodules the bacilli 

 can be readily found by 

 staining with any of the 

 ordinary combinations, 

 e.g., carbol-thionin-blue or 

 weak carbol-fuchsin. In 

 the case of sections, we 

 have obtained the best 

 results by carbol-thionin- 

 blue (p. 102), and we 

 prefer to dehydrate by the 

 aniline-oil method. 



McFadyean recommends 



that after sections have 



pure been stained in Lbffler's 



methylene-blue and slightly 



Fig. 89. — Glanders bacilli, 



culture on glycerin agar. 

 Stained with carbol-fuchsin and partially decolorised in weak acetic 



decolorised to show segmentation of pro- ac i<j t h ey should be treated 



toplasra. 



x 1000. 



for fifteen minutes with a 

 saturated solution of tannic 

 acid ; thereafter they are washed thoroughly in water, and as a contrast 

 stain a 1 per cent, solution of acid fuchsin may be applied for half « 

 minute ; they are then dehydrated, cleared, and mounted. 



Cultivation. — (For the methods of separation, vide infra.) 

 The glanders bacillus grows readily on most of the ordinary 

 media, but a somewhat high temperature is necessary, growth 

 taking place most rapidly at 35° to 37° C. Though a certain 

 amount of growth occurs down to 21° C, a temperature above 

 25° C. is always desirable. 



On agar and glycerin agar, in stroke cultures, growth appears 

 along the line as a uniform streak of greyish- white colour and 

 somewhat transparent appearance, with moist-looking surface, 

 and when touched with a needle is found to be of rather slimy 



