DOUBTFUL SPECIES 319 



Loeschia undulans Castellani, 1905. 

 Synonym. — Entamoeba undulans Castellani, 1905. 



This amoeba was found in faeces from persons suffering from diarrhoea in 

 Ceylon, together with other intestinal protozoa — e.g., Cercomonata and Tricho 

 monata . A somewhat similar amoeba has been found by Gauducheau in dogs. 



It varies in size, being from 12 to 30 in diameter, but there may be much 

 smaller individuals. It has no flagella, but possesses an undulating membrane, 



Fig. 60.-— Loeschia undulans Castellani, 1905. 



and long straight pseudopodia, which are rapidly emitted and retracted, only 

 one pseudopodium being protruded at a time. There is no marked differenti- 

 ation into ectoplasm and endoplasm, and a non-contractile vacuole is usually 

 to be seen. The cytoplasm, which is finely granular, often contains bacteria, 

 Castellani is inclined to consider this parasite as a developmental stage of 

 Cercomonas hominis, as was his original opinion. Perroncito long ago de- 

 scribed an amoeboid stage of Cevcomonas hominis. Wenyon considers it to be 

 a stage of a Cercomonas. 



Loeschia phagocytoides Gauducheau, 1908. 

 Synonym. — Entamoeba phagocytoides Gauducheau, 1908. 



Loeschia phagocytoides was discovered by Gauducheau in Indo-China in a 

 case of dysentery. It is very small — only 2 to 1 5 /x in diameter — very actively 

 motile, and possessing a well-developed ectoplasm. It can be easily cultivated 

 or ordinary agar-agar inoculated with Bacillus typhosus or other bacteria, 

 which it readily engulfs and digests . Some individuals show in their cytoplasm 

 peculiar spirochaste-like bodies. 



Loeschia minuta Elmassian, 1909. 

 ^'^YiQVi^va..— Entamoeba minuta Elmassian, 1909. 



This amoeba, found by Elmassian in a case of chronic dysentery in South 

 America, resembles L. tetragena, but is much smaller, rarely exceeding 14 // 

 in diameter. There is no differentiation between the ecto- and endo-plasm. 

 The nucleus is invisible in fresh preparations, and when stained is rich in 

 chromatin. Encysted forms contain four nuclei. 



Loeschia nipponica Koidzumi, 1909. 

 Synonym. — Entamoeba nipponica Koidzumi, 1909. 



This entamoeba was found by Koidzumi in the motions of cases of dysentery 

 and in healthy people in Japan. In the former case it is associated with 

 L. histolytica, which it resembles in size (15 to 30 /u) and in the marked difference 

 between the ecto- and endo-plasm. The pseudopodia are never spinose; the 

 endoplasm is vacuolated, and more granular than in L. histolytica. The 

 nucleus is well defined (5 to 7 /^), and rich in chromatin. This amoeba repro- 

 duces by fission, schizogony, and sporogony. 



Loeschia hartmanni Prowazek, 191 2. 

 Found in man in Savaii. It is 4 to 13 jit in diameter; nucleus vesicular, 

 2 to 3-3 jw; cysts small, quadrinucleate, characterized by a thin, bacteria-ljke 

 firrangement of chromidia. 



