CASTELLAN ELLA CASTELLANit 



42t 



Morphology. — It is a polymorphic trypanosome, and morphologi- 

 cally does not differ essentially from C. casfellanii, of which a 

 detailed description is given below. 



Life-History. — This has not been fully studied, and it is not 

 definitely known whether it takes place in Glossina palp alts or in 

 some allied tsetse- fly. 



Serum Reactions.— These reactions require to be studied in detail. 



Pathogenicity. — It causes a form of sleeping sickness, which appar- 

 ently is more chronic than that produced by C. castellanii, v/hile the 

 symptoms are often less severe, though the termination is fatal 

 without treatment, to which it appears to be more amenable. 



Castellanella castellanii (Kruse, 1903). 



Usual old name Trypanosoma castellanii Kruse, 1903. 

 Synonym. — T. ugandense Castellani, 1903. 



C. castellanii was first seen in the cerebro-spinal fluid of cases of 

 sleeping sickness by Castellani in 1902, and reported by him as 

 the cause of the disease in 1903; he asserted 

 also the probable plurality of species of the 

 trypanosomes affecting man, in analogy to 

 what takes place in the lower animals, such as 

 horses and cattle. Bruce and Nabarro demon- 

 strated the fact first suggested by Sambon and 

 Brumpt that it could be spread by a tsetse-fly, 

 Glossina palpalis ; and Kleine has demonstrated 

 that the transmission is not merely mechanical, 

 but also takes place after a period during which 

 the fly is non-infective, the deduction being 

 that the trypanosome must undergo a develop- 

 ment in the fly which acts as a true host. Finally 

 Miss Robertson worked out the life-cycle in the 

 tsetse- fly. 



Morphology.— C. Castellanii measures from 

 14 to 33 iM in length and from 2 to 2-5 in 

 breadth (Laveran and Mesnil give 17 to 28 

 in length and 1-4 to 2 in breadth); but, as 

 already stated, it is very polymorphic, having 

 short forms 14 to 20 medium forms 20 to 24 and long forms 

 23 to 33 II. The anterior end is variabL and sometimes rounded; 

 the kinetonucleus is an oval body, behind which is often seen a 

 vacuole. The trophonucleus is oval in shape, and situated about 

 the middle of the body, behind which there may be some chro- 

 matic granules in the cytoplasm, which at the posterior end runs 

 along the flagellum for a considerable distance. 



Asexual Reproduction. — ^The life-history of the parasite in the 

 human body is not accurately known. It can often be obtained 

 from the peripheral blood, but sometimes the most prolonged search 

 fails to demonstrate it. It can then be found by puncturing the 



Fig. 108. — Castella- 

 nella castellanii 

 (Kruse, 1903). 



The original trypa- 

 nosome found by 

 Castellani in the 

 cerebro-spinal fluid of 

 a case of sleeping 

 sickness in Uganda. 

 (Photomicrograph.) 



