GLANDERS 225 



is explainable if the organisms are protected by being sur- 

 rounded by a dried coating of albuminous matter. 



By some observers it is believed that the organism forms 

 spores, but no method of staining has yet been published 

 by which they can be demonstrated. 



Method of Staining. — The glanders bacillus stains with 

 difficulty with the ordinary aniline dyes, Loffler's methylene 

 blue being the best. The baciUus will not stain with Gram's 

 stain. When it is desired to stain it in sections, the follow- 

 ing procedure may be adopted : 



1. Wash the section in water. 



2. Stain in carbol-fuchsine for twenty Tninutes, heated 

 to 50° G. 



3. Transfer to slide ; blot with filter-paper ; heat with 

 1 pe/r cent, acetic acid for thirty seconds to one minute ; 

 wash with water; blot; dehydrate with alcohol; blot and 

 mount in balsam. 



Pathogenesis. — The disease is communicable to many 

 horses, mules, asses, field-mice, and guinea-pigs. Cattle 

 are entirely immune, and white mice and rabbits partly so. 



In 'man, glanders occurs after infection from a diseased 

 horse, generally through the infective discharge coming 

 into contact with some slight traumatic injury. In the 

 horse, when the disease affects the skin, it is termed 'farcy.' 

 The discharge either from the nostrils or from ulcers con- 

 tains comparatively few bacilli, and these are accompanied 

 by large numbers of pyogenic organisms, so that it is not 

 easy to demonstrate the bacillus either by staining or by 

 culture. 



It is said to be easy to obtain a pure culture by Strauss's 

 method (quoted by Sternberg). He recommends the in- 

 jection of the suspected discharge into the abdominal 

 cavity of a male guinea-pig. If the Bacillus m/illei is 

 present, the scrotum will be red and shining after three 



15 



