14 



A Trypanosome from Zanzibar. 



By Colonel Sir David Bruce, C.B., M.B., F.B.S., D.Sc., LL.D., Army Medical 

 Service, and Captains A. E. Hamerton, D.S.O., and H. E. Bateman, 

 Eoyal Army Medical Corps. 



(Eeceived September 18, — Eead November 26, 1908.) 



(From the Laboratory of the Eoyal Army Medical College, London.) 



[Plates 1 and 2.] 



About the middle of April, 1908, Dr. J. Eose Bradford, F.B.S., had handed 

 over to him by Dr. Edington, F.E.S.E., a rabbit whose blood contained 

 a trypanosome. Dr. Edington stated that he had inoculated the rabbit with 

 blood from a horse he found at Zanzibar suffering from some obscure disease. 

 This rabbit was handed over to one of us (D. B.) by Dr. Bradford for the 

 purpose of keeping the strain alive and, if possible, identifying the species of 

 trypanosoma. 



The following notes have since been received from Dr. Edington. The 

 trypanosome was found at Zanzibar, where no trypanosome has formerly 

 been known. It occurred in a horse in a stable among others, of which none 

 were infected. The animal was old, and had been many years in the place. 

 At death the symptoms were like those in surra and nagana, but the spleen 

 was not enlarged, nor was it coloured abnormally. The usual oedema was 

 apparent and most marked in the sheath, up the abdomen, in the chest, and 

 down the posterior limbs. 



Dr. Edington inoculated a horse, an ox, and a goat successfully. The 

 disease ran a sub-acute form in the original horse, but in the inoculated one 

 it seemed rather more acute. Inoculated on February 18, trypanosomes 

 were seen in its blood on the 25th, and by March 1 the sheath was 

 swollen. There was no real fever (102 a 2 F.) until February 28, so that in 

 this case the appearance of parasites preceded the fever. On March 7 it had 

 greatly recovered, oedema had subsided, and the weakness of the preceding 

 few days was recovered from. Dr. Edington left on March 8, and fears the 

 animal was destroyed, as they had no further vote for funds for food, etc. 



A young ox, inoculated on February 15, showed trypanosomes on the 27th. 

 It had fever fairly high, but had recovered before he left, and trypanosomes 

 were exceedingly few. A goat showed high fever, but its blood never showed 

 trypanosomes at any time, although Dr. Edington hunted with very great 

 thoroughness. 



