294. SANITARY ENTOMOLOGY 



in trench fever, the organism measuring 0.3 fx to 0.5 /x, and being anaero- 

 bic. A similar organism was recovered from four separate supplies of 

 infected louse excreta. 



VOLHYNIAN FEVER.— This obscure European fever also called the 

 Hiss-Werner disease, is claimed by Topfer (1916) to be carried by lice. 

 Jungmann and Kuczynski (1917) have confirmed this, claiming that an 

 early diagnosis of Volhynian fever is possible by examination of the lice 

 taken from patients. Da Rocha-Lima (1917) points out the similarity 

 of this disease to typhus fever, and described Rickettsia pedicuU which 

 he believes is the causative organism, and which develops on the epithelial 

 cells in the lumen of the stomach of the louse. Arkwright, Bacot and 

 Duncan (1919) regard R. pediculi as normal to lice. Five-day fever, also 

 called F'ebris quimtana, is identical with Volhynian fever. Werner and 

 Benzler (1917) describe two cases of transmission by bites and lice. 



3. Diseases of Animal Origin 



Protozoa 



Mastigophora: Binucleata: Trypanosomidae 



Trypanozoon lewisi Kent (Trypanosoma, Lewisonella), a common 

 parasite of rodents, often nonpathogenic, is transmitted by several species 

 of fleas but Von Prowazek has demonstrated that it may also complete 

 its development in the rat louse, Polyplax spinulosa Burmeister. The rat 

 becomes infected by licking up the insect dejections. 



Mastigophora: Binucleata: Leptomonidae 



Leptomonas pediculi (Fantham) (Herpetomonas) is the only true 

 louse parasite described. Fantham and Porter (1916) have even demon- 

 strated this organism experimentally pathogenic to Mus musculus. It 

 occurs in the alimentary tract of Pedicvlus corporis and P. humanus. 



Leishmania donovani (Laveran and Mesnil) is the cause of Tropical 

 Leishmaniasis or INDIAN KALA AZAR. The normal carrier is unde- 

 termined, but positive results have been obtained with the bedbugs, Cvmex 

 hemipterus and C. lectularius. Patton and also Mackie have failed to 

 get results with lice. Possibly these failures were also due to the con- 

 duct of the biting experiments rather than scratching in experiments 

 with lice and their feces. It would pay to reinvestigate the lice in connec- 

 tion with the disease. 



