The Animal Parasites of Man. Max Braun
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Название: The Animal Parasites of Man

Автор: Max Braun

Издательство: Bookwire

Жанр: Медицина

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isbn: 4057664648037

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СКАЧАТЬ herpetomonads in the gut of the fleas.137 Herpetomonas ctenocephali is known to occur in the gut of Ctenocephalus canis. A natural Herpetomonas is also known in the gut of Pulex irritans, as well as a Crithidia (C. pulicis, Porter). These natural flagellates of the fleas pass through non-flagellate stages, like the Leishman-Donovan body. In consequence Wenyon and Patton, among others, have criticized Basile’s results. Further, other investigators, such as Wenyon and Da Silva (1913), have repeated Basile’s flea experiments and been unable to confirm them.

      In feeding and inoculation experiments the incubation period of the parasite may be long, and so it is necessary to wait a long time to see whether the parasite will develop.

      Immunity.—Nicolle has tried some experiments with L. infantum and L. tropica. He finds that in animals recovery from an attack of the former confers immunity against infection by the latter and vice-versâ.

      Laveran138 records that a monkey having an immunity against L. infantum was also immune to L. donovani.

      As mentioned on p. 103, Laveran and Franchini (1913), working in Paris, have succeeded in inoculating Herpetomonas ctenocephali, a natural flagellate in the gut of the flea, Ctenocephalus canis, into white mice. Leishmaniform stages of the flea flagellate were recovered from the peritoneal exudate, blood and organs of the mice some weeks after inoculation. The parasites may also be conveyed by way of the digestive tract of the vertebrate. Similar experiments have succeeded with H. pattoni. These experiments go to show, together with those of Fantham and Porter with H. jaculum (see p. 104), that, in the words of the latter authors, “it may be expected that the various leishmaniases, occurring in different parts of the world, will prove to be insect-borne herpetomoniases.”

      Genus. Histoplasma, Darling, 1906.

      Under the name Histoplasma capsulatum,139 Darling described small round or oval parasites, enclosed in a refractile capsule, and each containing a single nucleus. The bodies were found in cases of splenomegaly in Panama. They occurred in the endothelial cells of the small blood-vessels of the liver, spleen, lungs, intestine and lymphatic glands, and also within the leucocytes. A few flagellates were stated to occur in the lungs. The parasite has usually been placed near Leishmania, but recently Rocha-Lima has stated that Histoplasma is a yeast.

      Genus. Toxoplasma, Nicolle and Manceaux, 1908.

      Fig. 51.—Toxoplasma gondii, endocellular or free in the peritoneal exudate of infected mice. 1, 2, mononuclear leucocytes containing toxoplasms. 3, polynuclear, containing parasites. 4, 5, 6, endothelial cells containing toxoplasms, agglomerated in 6. 7, agglomeration forms. 8–11, free forms. 12–13, division stages. × 1,600. (After Laveran and Marullaz.)

      Fig. 52.—Toxoplasma pyrogenes. 1, body found in blood. 2–7, bodies found

      in spleen. [1 is about the size of a red blood corpuscle, as drawn in the figures]. Magnification not stated. (After Castellani.)]

      Castellani (1913–14)141 has described similar parasites from a case of splenomegaly, with fever of long standing, in a Sinhalese boy. The bodies were found in the spleen and more rarely in the blood (fig. 52). Castellani has named them Toxoplasma pyrogenes. Further researches are needed.

      The Spirochætes are long, narrow, wavy, thread-like organisms, with a firm yet flexible outer covering or periplast. There is a diffuse nucleus internally in the form of bars or rodlets of chromatin distributed along the body. In some forms there is a membrane or crista present (fig. 53), which in the past was compared with the undulating membrane of a trypanosome, but the membrane of a spirochæte does not undulate. Progression is very rapid, corkscrew-like and undulatory movements occurring simultaneously.

      The genus Spirochæta was founded by Ehrenberg in 1833 for an organism which he discovered in stagnant water in Berlin. Ehrenberg named the organism Spirochæta plicatilis. According to Zuelzer (1912) S. plicatilis does not possess a membrane or crista, but an axial filament. S. gigantea has been described by Warming from sea-water.

      Fig. 53.—Spiro­chæta bal­bianii. a, basal gran­ule or polar cap. b, chroma­tin rod­lets. c, mem­brane (“crista”). d, myo­nemes in mem­brane. (After Fan­tham and Porter.)

      Spirochætes occur in the crystalline style and digestive tract of many bivalve molluscs. The first molluscan spirochæte to be studied was that of the oyster, named by Certes (1882) “Trypanosomabalbianii (fig. 53). Similar spirochætes, probably belonging to the same species, occur in various species of Tapes and in Pecten (the scallop). S. balbianii has rounded ends (fig. 53). Other spirochætes occur in freshwater mussels (Anodonta spp). S. anodontæ, studied by Keysselitz (1906) and by Fantham (1907), has pointed ends. Gross (1911) suggested the generic name Cristispira for molluscan spirochætes, because they possess a well-marked membrane or “crista,” which appears to be absent from S. plicatilis, according to Zuelzer’s researches.

      Schaudinn in 1905 founded the genus Treponema for the parasite of syphilis (T. pallidum), discovered by him and by Hoffmann. According to Schaudinn the Treponemata have no membrane or crista. The pathogenic agent of yaws or frambœsia, discovered by Castellani, is also placed in the genus Treponema, as T. pertenue.

      There remain the blood spirochætes. It is somewhat disputed as to whether these organisms possess a membrane. The present writer considers that they have a slight membrane or crista. The name of the genus in which to place the blood-inhabiting forms is somewhat uncertain and disputed. Various generic names given to them are Spirochæta, Treponema, Spiroschaudinnia (Sambon) and Borrelia (Swellengrebel). Included in this division are the causal agents of relapsing or recurrent fever. These Protists will be named, for description, Spirochætes without prejudice as to the ultimate correct generic name.

      It is sometimes made a matter of argument as to whether the spirochætes are Protozoa or Bacteria. Such arguments are somewhat unprofitable. Morphologically the spirochætes are like the Bacteria in possessing a diffuse nucleus. They differ from Spirillum, an undoubted bacterial genus, in being flexible and not possessing flagella. Molluscan spirochætes, however, may appear to have flagella if their membrane becomes frayed or ruptured, when the myonemes therein (fig. 53), becoming separated, form apparent threads or flagella (Fantham, 1907–08).142

      Again, the mode of division of spirochætes has been used as a criterion of their bacterial or protozoal affinity. They have been stated to divide transversely, СКАЧАТЬ