44 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. I, No. x 
goats may be assumed to be C. tenuicollis. C. ovis has not as yet been 
found in the liver. Even in carcasses exhibiting heavy infestation of 
the musculature, the liver has not been involved. Small-sized cysticerd 
in the lungs, however, may be C. ovis, as degenerate cysticerci of this 
species have been found in this location in a case of heavy infestation of 
the carcass. 
More difficulty is likely to be experienced in the identification of 
degenerate cysticerci than of the live parasites, and even more than in 
the case of the live cysticerci the location must be chiefly depended upon 
in distinguishing macroscopically between Cysticercus ovis and C. 
tenuicollis. 
The cysticercal nature of degenerate cysts can often be confirmed by 
squeezing out the cysticercus, or fragments of it. It should be remem¬ 
bered that the degenerate cyst may be of a much larger size than the 
contained cysticercus, so that the fact that a cyst is larger than the 
maximum size of Cysticercus ovis does not necessarily exclude this species 
from consideration. Degenerate cysts of C. tenuicollis on the diaphragm 
or abdominal muscles commonly become more firmly calcified than those 
of C. ovis and show a white, wrinkled surface not seen in the case of 
the latter. 
Excluding from consideration cases of invasion of the musculature by 
the gid bladder worm, whose true nature will be revealed by examination 
of the brain and the discovery of characteristic lesions in that location 
there are two known conditions which may be mistaken for the degen¬ 
erate cysts of Cysticercus ovis: Namely, large Sarcocysiis nodules and 
encysted foreign bodies, such as barbs from certain plants which work 
through the tissues and finally come to rest somewhere in the muscles 
and become encysted. 
In the case of Sarcocysiis nodules shown in the accompanying illustra¬ 
tion (PI. Ill, figs. C and D) there were a considerable number of nodules 
in the diaphragm and heart, 5 mm. and upward in diameter. The walls 
of these cysts were firm and thick, their contents of a purulent nature. 
No cysticerci or remains of cysticerci could be discovered. Instead, in 
each cyst there were found one or more small, transparent vesicles not 
visible except microscopically. These vesicles, with delicate mem¬ 
branous walls of homogeneous structure without nuclei, contained a 
finely granular substance and numerous calciform spores about 15/z long, 
which demonstrated conclusively that the cysts were Sarcocysiis cysts. 
Usually Sarcocysiis cysts in sheep are so small as to be evident only 
microscopically, and cysts large enough to be seen with the naked eye 
are, so far as known, very rare. Knowledge of the characteristics of the 
unusual forms of Sarcocysiis cysts such as that described above is too 
limited to enable one to state definitely the points by which they may be 
differentiated macroscopically from degenerate Cysticercus ovis cysts. In 
