FAMILY BARTONELLACEAE 



1109 



Genus III. Grahamella Brumpt. 



(Brumpt, Bull. Soc. Path. Exot., J^, 1911, 514; Grahamia Tartakowsky, Trav. IX-^ 

 Cong. Int. Med. Vet., 4, 1910, 242; not Grahamia Theobald, Colonial Office, Misc. 

 Pub. No. 237, 1909.) Named for G. S. Graham-Smith who discovered the parasite 



in the blood of voles. 



Parasites occurring within the erythrocytes of the lower mammals which morpho- 

 logically bear a resemblance to Bartoyiella, but which are less pleomorphic, more 

 plump, and more suggestive of the true bacteria. They stain more deeply than bar- 

 to nellae with Giemsa's stain, stain lightly with aniline dyes and with methylene blue. 

 They are Gram-negative, non-acid-fast and non-motile. Splenectomy has no effect 

 on the source of infection e.xcept in rats. They are non-pathogenic and not affected 

 by arsenicals. Several species have been cultivated on cell-free media.* The etio- 

 logical agent of grahamellosis of rodents and some other vertebrates. 



The type species is Grahamella talpae Brumpt. 



1. Grahamella talpae Brumpt. (Bull. 

 Soc. Path. Exot., 4, 1911, 514.) Named 

 for the genus of moles, Talpa. 



Long or short rods of irregular contour 

 lying within the red blood cells, many 

 with a marked curve, often near one of 

 the extremities. One or both ends of the 

 longer forms enlarged, giving a wedge- 

 or club-shaped appearance. Some of the 

 medium-sized forms definitely dumbbell - 

 shaped, small forms nearly round. 



With Giemsa's stain, the protoplasm of 

 the organism stains light blue, with 

 darker areas at the enlarged ends. Dark 

 staining areas of longer forms give the 

 organism a banded appearance. Length 

 varies from 0.1 to 1 micron. Parasites 

 occasionally free in the plasma, but 

 usually in groups. Most of the infected 

 corpuscles contain between 6 and 20 

 parasites (Graham-Smith, Jour. Hyg., 5, 

 1905, 453). 



Pathogenicity: Pathogenic for moles. 



Appendix: In addition to Grahamella 

 talpae Brumpt, descriptions of the 

 following species occur in the literature. 

 The list may not be complete and the 



validity of these species may be ques- 

 tioned in some cases. 



Grahamella acodoni Carini. (Ann. 

 Parasit., 2, 1924, 253.) From Acodon 

 serre7isis, Brazil. 



Grahamella alactagae Tartakowsky. 

 (Katalogue der Exponaten der Land- 

 wirthschaftlichen Ausstellung (Rus- 

 sisch), St. Petersburg, 1913.) From 

 Alactaga saliens and Alaclaga aconitus in 

 Transcaucasia and steppes of Astrakhan 

 (Alactaga misspelled Alactoga). Quoted 

 from Yakimoff, Arch. f. Protistenk., 66, 

 1929, 303. 



Grahamella arvalis Tartakowsky. 

 (Katalogue der Exponaten der Land- 

 wirthschaftlichen Ausstellung (Russisch) 

 St. Petersburg, 1913.) From Microtus 

 arvalis in Transcaucasia. Quoted from 

 Yakimoff, Arch. f. Protistenk., 66, 1929, 

 304. 



Grahamella balfourii Brumpt. (Gra- 

 hamella sp. Balfour, Rept., Wellcome 

 Tropical Research Laboratory, 2, 1906, 

 97; Grahamella balfouri Brumpt, Bull. 

 Soc. Path. Exot., Paris, 4, 1911, 517.) 

 From the desert rat {Jaciilus jaculus) in 

 the Sudan. 



* Tyzzer (Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc, 85, 1942, 375) finds that grahamellae isolated 

 in culture show a close relationship to Streptobacillus moniliformis {Actinomijces 

 muris) and proposes the inclusion of the genus Grahamella in the family Actinomy- 

 cetaceae. The latter relationship appears to be very doubtful. 



