Notes on Toxoplasma gondii. 



71 



Mouse H. — Inoculated February 12 from F. Died February 20. Course 

 of infection eight days. 



Very little peritoneal fluid, and this was poor in parasites, so also the 

 mesentery. Liver, spleen and heart-blood contained a fair number. 



Mouse I (with three legs only). — Inoculated February 20 from H. Found 

 dying January 26 and chloroformed. Course of infection six days. 



Very little peritoneal fluid and a very poor infection. Lungs and liver 

 found to be infected with a bacillus and also a diplococcus. The presence of 

 the latter woidd suggest that the mouse was dying of pneumonia. Inoculation 

 of peritoneal fluid into another mouse gave no result. 



Mouse J. — Inoculated February 20 from the liver of H. Died March 3. 

 Course of infection 11 days. 



Only a little peritoneal fluid with a few parasites. The mesentery also only 

 contained a few. In the pleural fluid occasional specimens were found, as also 

 in the lungs, heart-blood, and liver. 



Mouse L. — Inoculated March 3 from J. Died March 18. Course of 

 infection 15 days. 



A quantity of fat present and the animal seemed generally well nourished. 

 A fair amount of peritoneal fluid, but it only contained a few parasites. Liver 

 hypertrophied and of a somewhat friable consistency, but it only contained a 

 small number of parasites and none could be found in the bone marrow. 



Mouse G- was fed February 5, 12, and 20 on material infected with parasites, 

 but was apparently none the worse on March 19. 



Conclusions — 



(1) Infection would not seem to take place in nature by means of the 

 alimentary canal unless the parasite may possibly be swallowed in a form 

 different from that in the vertebrate host. 



(2) The disease ran its longest course in Mice B, J, and L, which were found 

 in post-mortem examination to have only a few parasites. If the rapidity 

 with which the poorly infected Mouse I succumbed be ascribed in part to its 

 pulmonary bacterial infection and general unhealthy condition, then it would 

 seem that the length of the course of infection is approximately inversely 

 proportional to the number of parasites in the whole body and that the death 

 of the host may be due to their cumulative toxic action. 



(2) Pigeons. 



Pigeon 1. — Inoculated January 22. Intraperitoneum from peritoneal fluid 

 of Mouse B. No effect. 



