286 APPLIED BACTERIOLOGY 



unlimited time, on artificial media, glycerine agar and 

 bread being the best. The cultures on bread, when fully 

 developed, have a very peculiar and characteristic appear- 

 ance, showing a dull-gray raised and wrinkled growth, of 

 considerable thickness, of a bright-sulphur yellow or light 

 chocolate colour, somewhat similar to the lichenous growth 

 commonly seen on apple-trees. 



The ray-fungus, when grown on artificial media, develops 

 mycelial threads and spores. Spores are readily formed, 

 which are, according to Wiirtz, very resistant to heat, 

 requiring fourteen minutes' boiling to destroy their vitality. 



Occurrence and Distribution. — The natural habitat of the 

 fungus seems to be on the ears of cereals, and the invasion 

 of an animal by the fungus is generally due to the piercing 

 of a mucous surface by a portion of a cereal to which the 

 fungus was attached; possibly the fungus may also gain 

 access to the system by inspiration. If the pus from one 

 of the abscesses is examined, small yellow granules will be 

 found, which consist of clumps of the fungus. On squeezing 

 one of these clumps between two cover-glasses, and then 

 staining with aniline water methyl-blue, it will be seen that 

 the fungi are arranged in groups radiating out from the 

 centre, and club-shaped. 



The fungus may occur in nearly every part of the body. 

 In man it generally gains access by some slight traumatic 

 injury, as only two cases are on record where the disease 

 was supposed to have been contracted from affected 

 animals, and these are doubted by some authorities. Cattle 

 affected by the disease are not uncommon abroad, where 

 but little importance is attached to the disease. It is 

 comparatively rare in this country, being chiefly confined 

 to Norfolk. Owing to the great resistance of the spores to 

 heat, it is obvious that the flesh of animals suffering from 

 the disease ought not to be considered fit for human food. 



