NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
41
The agglutinins were removed from this serum in the
following manner : —
10 c.c. of the serum was mixed with 10 c.c. of a thick
emulsion of H. S. bacilli and left 24 hours in the dark,
at room temperature.
The result was a thick sediment in the tube. The
supernatant fluid was tested for agglutinating powers, but
it had none, so all the agglutinins had been used up. The
supernatant fluid was drawn off and again saturated with
H. S. bacilli and left for 24 hours in the dark, at room
temperature.
The fluid was then centrifuged, pipetted off, shaken up
with chloroform and left 24 hours to kill the few remaining
bacilli.
Admixture with fresh chloroform was carried out twice
again, at 24 hours' interval, and the fluid, when pipetted
off, was tested for living bacilli by inoculating several bouillon
tubes. No growth occurred in 24 hours.
The serum was then tested on a hill bull for its protec-
tive powers, which were found to be quite equal to those
of ordinary protective serum from which the agglutinins
have not been removed.
IV. PATHOGENICITY.
Animals naturally attacked.—Buffaloes, oxen, horses
and elephants. It is principally a disease of buffaloes, and is
much less common in oxen. Horses are very rarely
affected.
Animals susceptible to experimental inoculation.—Buffa-
loes, oxen, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, camels, rabbits,
guinea-pigs, rats, mice, pigeons.
Camels, sheep, goats and house pigeons are very
resistant and only die when large doses of pure culture are
inoculated, though resistance varies with the individual.
Animals resistant to experimental inoculation.—Dogs,
fowls and man.
Symptoms in the buffalo from natural infection.—The
disease is most common in young animals, but old animals
are not immune.
42
The temperature rises to 107°F. or 110°F., feeding
and rumination cease, and great depression sets in. A pain-
ful, hot and very hard swelling appears in the dewlap, throat
and between the lower maxillæ.
This swelling is so hard that pressure of the fingers
makes no depression, but a neck rope on the animal will
cause a deep cleft in it. The swellings vary in size, but
usually fill up the whole of the loose dewlap which is so
plentiful in Indian cattle.
Saliva flows from the mouth and a thick mucous dis-
charge from the nose.
The pulse is frequent and respiration becomes increas-
ingly difficult, the condition bordering on suffocation with
the nose extended, the nostrils dilated, and the chest walls
heaving. The mucous membranes are hæmorrhagic and of
a deep-red colour.
Colic and intestinal symptoms then set in. Constipa-
tion gives place to diarrhœa and then dysentery accompanied
by severe straining. The animal lies down from sheer weak-
ness with his head turned on his flank and dies in a condition
of stupor within 24 hours.
Post-mortem appearances.
On cutting into the swelling a sero-gelatinous fluid
exudes from the subcutaneous tissues. This exudate is more
often clear and serum-like, but sometimes there is a
hæmorrhagic appearance.
The 4th stomach and intestines are much inflamed.
The mucous membrane is brownish red in colour with
hæmorrhagic patches throughout, in which the mucous coat
has quite broken down and large raw ulcers have formed.
The contents are bloody, and there is seldom any food
at all in the abomasum and intestines,
The mesenteric lymphatic glands are enlarged and some-
times hæmorrhagic.
The peritoneal cavity contains an excess of peritoneal
fluid.
The lungs are generally normal or slightly œdematous.
The pleura is generally highly injected and there may be
pleural adhesions.
43
The pericardial cavity contains an excess of fluid in
which fibrin may be present. Myocarditis is generally found
and endocarditis is an almost diagnostic post-mortem
symp-
tom.
The spleen and blood are of normal appearance. The
bladder is inflamed and the urine darker coloured than normal.
On microscopical examination of the heart wall, micros-
copic hæmorrhages are seen between the muscle fibres and
under an oil immersion lens large clusters of bacilli are found.
The former appearance is well seen when Weigert's Iron
Hæmatoxylin followed by Van Gieson's stain are used, and
the bacilli are best seen after 24 hours staining with
Lœffler's Alkaline-Methylene-Blue.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE BACILLI IN THE ANIMAL BODY.
They are present in every organ and fluid. In all animals
one can generally obtain cultures easily from the heart-blood.
The best and most abundant growth is obtained from
the liver and spleen. Less abundant growths are obtained
from the mesenteric glands, subcutaneous tissues, peritoneal,
pleural and pericardial fluids, testicles and kidneys.
The urine taken from the bladder on
post-mortem
examination was always found infective, and judging by the
thickness of the growth on agar, the bacilli are very plentiful
in this fluid.
In inflammatory and hæmorrhagic patches in the tissues
clumps of bacilli are seen on section.
INOCULATION ANIMALS.
Buffaloes.
A buffalo calf was inoculated with .5 c.c. emulsion of
H. S. culture 24 hours old from a rabbit which died in 13½
hours.
The buffalo died in 21 hours.
The symptoms were those of acute intoxication, the
animal being in a deep stupor.
He lay huddled up in a corner of the stable with his
head turned round on the flank and the breathing laboured
as if in pain.
Diarrhœa and dysentery set in.
44
The mucous membranes were of a deep-red colour and
the pulse was fast and weak.
Temperature very high.
Post-mortem.
No external swellings.
Pharynx and œsophagus injected and inflamed.
Larynx inflamed, but trachea normal.
HÆMORRHAGIC
SEPTICÆMIA.
45
No pleural fluid, but severe pleuritis without adhesions.
Lungs healthy except for one lobe showing commencing
pneumonia.
In the heart were traces of extravasation on the
endocardium.
Peritoneal cavity contained no fluid.
The chief lesions were in the abdomen.
The 3rd and 4th stomachs were severely inflamed.
The small intestines and especially Peyer's patches were
bright scarlet.
Large intestines showed patchy inflammation.
The blood-vessels on the brain surface were very full and
the meninges were much injected.
Cultures were obtained from all the organs and fluids in
the body, and especially good and abundant results were got
from the urine.
Many other buffaloes have been inoculated with similar
results.
CATTLE.
A. cow calf was inoculated subcutaneously over the
shoulder with 1 c.c. emulsion of H. S. culture on agar from a
rabbit. He was inoculated in the afternoon and the follow-
ing morning the temperature was 105°F. The calf was dull,
off feed and had a quickened pulse.
The mucous membranes were congested.
Breathing was normal.
A large œdematous swelling appeared all round the
seat of inoculation and over the neck. Death occurred in
33 hours.
Post-mortem.
Pharynx and œsophagus were leaden coloured and
showed inflammation in patches.
Spaces between the tracheal rings inflamed.
In the pleural cavity was an excess of fluid.
In the pericardial cavity 300 c.c. pericardial fluid.
Extravasations on and around the columnæ carneæ.
1st and 2nd stomachs were healthy. In the 3rd the
leaves were injected bright red.
46
The 4th stomach was severely inflamed, especially near
the pylorus.
In the small and large intestines a severe blackish red
inflammation.
HORSES.
A grey country-bred was inoculated subcutaneously
with .5 c.c. H. S. emulsion from a 24 hours agar culture
from a rabbit which died in 13½ hours.
A large hot painful œdematous swelling formed below
the seat of inoculation, and gravitated to the sternal region.
Animal was dull, off feed, showed muscle tremors and
shivering and had a staring coat. He went down on the 2nd
day, respirations became difficult and he died 41½ hours after
inoculation.
Post-mortem.
Pharynx and œsophagus of a leaden colour and in the
letter patches of inflammation.
The larynx was leaden-coloured and the intercartilagin-
ous tissues in the trachea were highly injected.
No excess of fluid in the serous cavities.
Severe blood extravasation on the pericardium and
endocardium in large blackish patches and in small spots.
Slight injection of the peritoneum.
Liver enlarged.
Spleen slightly enlarged.
The pyloric portion of the stomach severely inflamed
and the pylorus was inflamed and ulcerated.
The small intestines showed only a patchy inflammation
and especially of Peyer's patches.
The large intestines were more affected than the small
and were of a deep leaden colour. (See Plate.)
SHEEP.
Sheep No. 49 was inoculated subcutaneously inside the
thigh with .5 c.c. H. S. agar culture emulsion from a rabbit
which died in 13½ hours. In 24 hours there was a painful
œdematous swelling, 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch in
thickness. The sheep was dull and off feed. On the 3rd
PLATE VI.
HÆMORRHAGIC SEPTICÆMIA IN THE HORSE.
A large swelling can be seen over the near shoulder. Death occurred the day following the
taking of the above photo.
47
day the swelling had slightly decreased and she was feeding
well.
On the 4th day swelling still less but painful ; 6th day
swelling disappeared and sheep well.
On the 7th day was reinoculated with 1½ c.c. agar
culture emulsion from a. rabbit which died in 22½ hours.
A local swelling appeared, but the sheep's general
health did not suffer.
Two days later the swelling had gone.
On the 13th day reinoculated with 3 c.c. culture emul-
sion, and only a slight local reaction resulted.
Three days later some blood was drawn off and clotted
and the serum when injected into rabbits proved fatal.
On the 22nd day sheep was reinoculated with 10 c.c.
culture emulsion and again there was a local reaction.
On the 39th day death resulted.
Sheep No. 50 was inoculated subcutaneously with 2 c.c.
H. S. bouillon culture.
There was a severe local reaction and for a few days the
sheep was dull and off feed.
For about three weeks there was intermittent high
fever, the temperature rising to 105°F. ; then the sheep
became quite well again. The reaction to inoculation was
very severe, but it left behind a powerful immunity as
proved by subsequent inoculations with large doses of
culture giving practically no reaction, whereas the control
rabbits died.
Sheep No. 53 was inoculated subcutaneously with
10 c.c. H. S. bouillon cult e and died in 40 hours. There
was an extensive local reaction and the temperature rose
to 106°F.
The bacillus was obtained from the
post-mortem
examination.
GOATS.
Goat No. 19 was inoculated subcutaneously with .5 c.c.
bouillon culture 24 hours old.
The second day the temperature rose to 104°F. and on
the 5th, 6th and 7th days nearly reached 105°F., then went
48
down to and remained normal. The local reaction was
insignificant.
On the 35th day from the 1st inoculation he was again
inoculated subcutaneously with 2 c.c. H. S. bouillon culture
24 hours old.
The control rabbit died in 12 hours.
The goat showed neither local nor general reaction.
CAMELS.
Camel No. 1.—Inoculated subcutaneously 1 c.c. emulsion
of agar culture from a rabbit.
There was no apparent effect, so the animal was
destroyed on the 3rd day.
No lesions were found upon post mortem. The control
rabbit died in 15 hours.
Camel No. 2 was inoculated subcutaneously with
1 c.c. emulsion of H. S. agar culture.
Up to the 4th day neither local nor general symptoms
were shown, so the camel was destroyed, but no lesions of
H. S. could be found post mortem, nor could the bacillus
be obtained from the tissues.
Camel No. 13 was inoculated with 5 c.c. H. S. bouillon
culture five days old.
Death took place 17 hours later.
On post mortem a bloody exudate was found in the
pleural cavity.
The large intestines were inflamed.
HÆMORRHAGIC
SEPTICÆMIA.
49
This camel probably died from the effects of the toxin
injected.
Cultures could not be obtained from the tissues or
blood, so the bacilli probably did not multiply in the body.
Camel No. 7 was inoculated subcutaneously with 1 c.c.
H. S. bouillon culture 24 hours old.
There was no local reaction, but the temperature rose
to 104°F.
The control rabbit died in 18 hours.
21 days later he was again inoculated subcutaneously
with 1 c.c. H. S. bouillon culture four days old. The control
rabbit died in 20 hours. There was no general or local
reaction, yet 31 days later the camel died and the bacillus
was obtained in culture from the internal organs.
The bacillus was much attenuated in virulence.
50
GUINEA-PIGS.
Guinea-pig No. 57 was inoculated with ½ c.c. emulsion of
H. S. agar culture 24 hours old.
The local swelling and inflammation gradually increased
till the time of death, which occurred in 58 hours.
Enteritis was the chief post-mortem lesion
There was
no tracheitis as in rabbits.
The adrenal glands were much inflamed.
Many guinea-pigs have been inoculated with similar
results, death occurring in from 40 to 60 hours.
HÆMORRHAGIC SEPTICÆMIA.
Guinea-pig.
RABBITS.
Rabbits appear to be the most susceptible of all animals
and the disease is invariably fatal in them.
The organism increases in virulence by passage through
rabbits till a standard virulence of eleven hours is reached,
51
From an ordinary culture obtained in the field, rabbits
die in an average of 25 to 30 hours. The local reaction is
extensive. From subcutaneous inoculation on the abdomen
a swelling half an inch thick extends from pubes to throat.
There is high fever. Intoxication symptoms prevail
till death.
Rabbit. Inoculated with H. S. bacilli attenuated by passage through the sheep.
POST-MORTEM.
Local swelling consists of a serous infiltration. A
diagnostic lesion is hemorrhagic tracheitis generally very
severe.
In females the uterus is generally very much inflamed.
The intestines are injected on the serous surface and
the mucous surface is hæmorrhagic.
PIGEONS.
House pigeon No. I was inoculated subcutaneously with
5 c.c. H. S. emulsion from 24 hours' culture The only symp-
tom shown was a slight, hard swelling, the size of a grain
of wheat, at the seat of inoculation.
52
The
never appeared ill.
19 days later it was again inoculated, and with double
the former dose. This time there was not even a local
reaction.
On both occasions the control guinea-pig died in about
40 hours.
21 days later the same pigeon was again inoculated ;
this time with 1 c.c. bouillon culture.
Death occurred in 31 hours.
A pure culture was obtained from the post-mortem and
was used on Rabbit 134, which died in 28 hours of H. S.
Wild pigeon No. I was inoculated subcutaneously with
1 c.c. emulsion from H. S. agar culture 24 hours old.
Death occurred in 20 hours.
The crop was full of fluid and the bowels showed severe
enteritis.
Wild pigeon No. II was inoculated subcutaneously
with 1 c.c. emulsion of H. S. agar culture from Wild pigeon
No. I.
Next day there was a slight swelling at the seat of
inoculation, and death occurred in 31 hours. Crop was full
of fluid.
Wild pigeon No. III was inoculated subcutaneously
with 1 c.c. emulsion of H. S. agar culture from Wild pigeon
No. II.
Death occurred in 22 hours and the crop was full of
fluid as in the other cases.
DOGS.
A fox-terrier pup was inoculated subcutaneously with
1 c.c. H. S. bouillon culture without result.
A pariah dog was inoculated subcutaneously with 1 c.c.
H. S. bouillon culture without even a rise of temperature.
17 days later he was again inoculated intraperitoneally
with H. S. agar culture emulsion 3.5 c.c. and his tempera-
ture rose the same day 3° F. above his previous average
temperature. Next day the temperature was normal and the
dog in perfect health.
On each occasion the control rabbits died.
53
RATS.
Rat No. 104 was inoculated with a loopful of H. S. agar
culture and died on the 6th day.
Lesions were only very slight enteritis and a small swell-
ing at the seat of inoculation. No tracheitis was present.
By passage from rat to rat the bacillus increases in
virulence for the rat.
FOWLS.
Hen No. 60 was inoculated subcutaneously with 1 c.c.
emulsion of 24 hours old H. S. agar culture. There was no
result, not even a local reaction, but the control rabbit died
in 23 hours.
29 days later the fowl was reinoculated without result,
but the control rabbit died in 22½ hours.
Hen No. 61. was inoculated subcutaneously with ½ c.c.
bouillon culture of H. S. There was a slight local œdema
which passed off in 3 days. The control rabbit died in 22½
hours. A 2nd inoculation of this hen had similar results.
WHAT IS THE NATURAL METHOD OF INFECTION?
The disease is most common after rain, as in the
monsoon in July and August, and also after the Christmas
rains.
Almost any shower of rain during the winter months
will give rise to a few cases in the affected districts.
The districts, in which the disease is found, are low-
lying and damp ones, such as the land near the big rivers
and the land intersected by them.
The accepted theory is that the bacillus lives in the
damp soil or in the soil water and that the disease appears
during the rains when the soil water rises and that animals
become infected by ingestion.
Experiments prove the ingestion theory to be wrong
Several young buffaloes have been fed on enormous
doses of virulent culture (1,000 c.c.) in their gram and bran,
and at the same time were kept on the coarsest grass which
they could eat and which was calculated to cause wounds in
the mouth and stomach, but in no case did infection result.
54
HÆMORRHAGIC SEPTICÆMIA.
Buffalo immunised by feeding on bouillon culture of H. S.
55
The constant effect of feeding buffaloes on bouillon
culture is to immunise the animal against the disease, so that
1 c.c. of virulent bouillon culture inoculated subcutaneously
never causes more than a slight local swelling and a slight
rise of temperature (103°F.).
It was found that this immunity was present as long
as three or four weeks after the last culture feeding.
It is, therefore, very improbable that an animal would
become affected from the comparatively few bacilli it would
ingest from the soil water; in fact, this ingestion is probably
the cause of the immunity against H. S. found in old
animals in H. S. districts.
Enormous numbers of bacilli are discharged from the
bodies of infected animals in the urine, so that the soil
water in H. S. places must be infected even if all carcases
were unopened.
It is very doubtful whether the bacilli actually multiply
in the soil.
The only method of infection is by inoculation, but
exactly how this comes about is not known.
It might, in some cases, occur from mouth injuries or
skin wounds, but it seems far more likely that the disease
is conveyed by the bites of blood-sucking insects.
May it not be that the insects which spread the disease
are only hatched out by rain and that this explains the
relation of the disease to wet weather?
Where would insects get the infection in the first
instance before any large animals become visibly affected?
It seems extremely likely that some species of animal
may carry the disease in a chronic form, as in the case of
Camel No. 7, previously mentioned. In one case where a
sheep was inoculated subcutaneously without result, the
bacillus of H. S. was found to be circulating in the blood,
and the sheep's serum three days after inoculation proved
fatal to the rabbit.
May not some small animal keep the disease going in
dry seasons till rain appears and the disease spreads to
cattle and buffaloes.
Observations on these points in the districts would be
most interesting.
56
Till we are quite certain of the method of infection
preventive measures are likely to prove somewhat ineffectual.
ALTERATION IN VIRULENCE OF THE BACILLUS.
Growing the bacillus at higher temperatures than 37°C.
greatly alters its virulence for animals, but growing it at low
temperatures does not alter its virulence in the slightest.
Grown for long periods in vitro at 37°C. it loses its virulence
sooner than when grown for the same length of time at
30°C. This was shown by cultivating the bacillus from a
rabbit which died in 12 hours, and from one tube two sub-
cultures were made.
One subculture was kept at 30°C. and the other at
37°C. for six weeks, each being subcultured every few days.
At the end of this period three rabbits were inoculated
from the 30°C. culture, and three with similar doses from
the 37°C. culture, with the result that the former died in
23, 14 and 10 hours respectively, whereas two of the latter
recovered and the 3rd died in 36 hours, i.e., a distinct
decrease in virulence in the cultures kept at the higher
temperatures.
Other conditions being favourable, mere length of time
cultivated outside the living animal body decreases the
virulence.
A few hours' drying greatly alters the virulence. Bacilli
minus their toxins have only feeble pathogenic powers.
Passage through certain animals with a natural resist-
ance to the disease greatly decreases the virulence.
In Italy it is said that passage of the bacillus through
pigeons so alters the virulence that the blood will protect
buffaloes against the disease.
Here in India, I tried to alter the virulence for rabbits
by passage of the organism from pigeon to pigeon, and then
cultivating on agar and inoculating into rabbits, but without
success.
Passage from sheep to sheep greatly alters the virulence
for rabbits, one rabbit dying after 10 days. Passage through
the camel does the same. In the case of Camel No. 7
previously mentioned, the bacillus of normal virulence for
the rabbit took 31 days to kill the camel, and afterwards
57
was so weakened as to be unable to kill rabbits and
buffaloes.
Passage through certain species of animals increases the
virulence up to a standard virulence for that species, for
example, Rabbits, Rats and Buffaloes.
This standard virulence is higher for rodents than for
ruminants.
IMMUNITY.
Immunity may be conferred on animals against H. S.—
I. By feeding on virulent bouillon cultures.
II. By starting with less than a fatal dose of pure
bouillon culture, and giving increasing doses.
III. By commencing with an inoculation of bacilli
separated from their toxins and later giving toxin subcu-
taneously in increasing doses.
IV. By inoculating attenuated bacilli.
FILARIA OSLERI IN INDIA.
BY
S. H. GAIGER, I.C.V.D.,
Punjab Veterinary College Laboratory.
THE extremely rare occurrence of this parasite and the
absence of any drawing of it, or of the lesions it causes, are
sufficient reasons for this short note.
Neumann says: "There are five observations on record
of verminous nodules of the trachea and bronchi of the
dog, caused by the Nematodes that Blumberg and Rabe
doubtfully place in the genus Filaria. Of these five obser-
vations, one is due to Renault, two to Blumberg and the
other two to Rabe. Body filiform, mouth surrounded by
two or three prominences or concentric lips of variable
height behind which are three unequal papillæ; pharynx
dilated Male 5 mm. long with the posterior extremity
rounded; two curved, unequal spicules. Female 9 mm. to
15 mm. long; vulva situated immediately in front of the anus.
"Ovoviviparous.—These worms, imbedded as they are
in the substance of the nodules, are very difficult to extract,
and their study is still incomplete."
In April of this year I found this parasite in a fox-hound
belonging to the Lahore Hunt.
The dog was whelped in Lahore at the end of January
1908. It was kept at Dalhousie all the summer of that year
and died in April 1909 in Lahore from contagious gastro-
enteritis.
On opening the trachea the appearance shown in the
drawing was found.
Altogether there were about 30 nodules 3.5 mm. long
and 2.3 mm. wide, through the surfaces of which the worms
protruded their head-ends, about half the worm being inside
the tumour and half in the lumen of the trachea.