Trypanosome Affections ia Man. 839 



Trypanosome Affections in Man. By the findings of Nepveu 

 (1898), Button (1902) and Castellani (1903), as well as by numerous 

 subsequent confirmations, it was established that the so-called sleeping 

 sickness of the negroes is caused by a blood parasite, the Trypanosoma 

 gambiensis. It greatly resembles the parasite of nagana, and is also 

 transmitted into the healthy body of man by the tsetse fly, especially 

 by the Glossina palpalis. The disease, which occurs in tropical Africa, 

 manifests itself in the first stage (Trypanosome fever) in irregular 

 fever, transitory edema, and erythema, also swelling of the lymph 

 glands and spleen. If the patients survive, symptoms of the sleeping 

 sickness proper develop in a few months. Fatigue with frequent head- 

 aches, subcutaneous edema, diminution of the intelligence, and finally 

 symptoms of a severe meningitis, especially conspicuous somnolence, 

 whereupon the patients die in a deep comatous condition. Good results 

 were obtained in the treatment with arsenical preparations, especially 

 with atoxyl. (S. Mense, Handb. d. Tropenkrankh., 1906, III, 617.— 

 Koch, Beck & Kleine, Arb. d. G.-A., 1909, XXXI, 1, H.) 



Chagas found in a child in Brazil a trypanosome (Tr. Cruzil), 

 which supposedly is transmitted by the Cinorrhinus insect. The symp- 

 toms were similar to those of the African trypanosome fever. (A. f. 

 Schiffs, u. Tropenhyg., 1909, XIII, 351.) 



3. Spirochaetosis of Fowls. Spirochaetosis avium. 



{Spirillosis or Spirochaetosis of Chickens; Spirillosis gallinarum 



et anserum.) 



Spirillosis represents usually a fatal septicemia of chickens, 

 geese and ducks, caused by a screw-shaped blood parasite, the 

 Spirochaete gallinarum. 



Eistory. Spirillae were first demonstrated as disease producers 

 by Sakharoff (1891) among geese in Trans-Caueasia, later by Marchoux 

 & Salimbeni (1903) in Brazil. At first it appeared as if two different 

 diseases were concerned, but Williamson (1908) and Galli-Valerio 

 (1909) have established the identity of their causative agents. In the 

 meantime Levaditi, Borrel & Marchoux, Neufeld & Prowazek and 

 Nuttall 'have contributed to the etiology, Uhlenhuth and his co-workers, 

 then Levaditi & Mcintosh, Dschunkowsky & Luhs to the atoxyl treat- 

 ment of the disease. 



Occurrence. The disease occurs frequently as a dangerous 

 plague among chickens in the most varied localities, while in 

 geese and ducks it has been found only sporadically. 



Outside of Brazil the chicken spirillosis has been met with to the 

 present time in Bulgaria (Gareitschnoff), in Eoumania (Mezinescu), 

 in Cyprus (Williamson), in Egypt (Dreyer, Balfour, Bitter), m Tunis 

 (Galli-Valerio, Comte & Bouquet), in South Africa (Johnsohn, Bevan, 

 Mohr), in Australia (Cleland), and in India (Greig, Montgomery, 

 Rainey) ; the spirillosis of geese, outside of Trans- Caucasia (Sakharoff, 

 Dschunkowsky & Luhs) only in Tunis (Ducloux). 



