Evening star., 1941-05-15
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

A new group of human diseases due to
micro-organism hitherto unsuspected
| of preying on man has Just been re-
/ ported to the American Medical Asso-
citation.
The maladies simulate Rocky Noun
tain spotted fever, typhus fever, pneumo-
mia and cerebral meningitis.
The organism is one of the sporozoa,
most primitive of all forms of animal life.
1t was isolated more than 40 years
ago and has been recognized by veterina-
rians as the cause Of frequent illness
among dogs and cats. 1t lives inside
the red blood cells, but until recently
never has been found in the blood of
human beings.
Now, it appears, the microscopic crea-
ture not only is probably a common
parasite on man but causes a form of
cerebral meningitis in newborn infants.
They are infected before birth from the
blood stream of the mother
Two fatal cases in adults are now re-
ported to the American Medical Asso-
citation by two st. Louis physicians,
ISlIildAo "
derson Both of these were very similar
to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, the
highly fatal disease spread by dog ticks.
Also, they point out. the symptoms
were quite similar to those reported by
other physicians for cases of pneumonia
for which no causative organism could
be found.
Tn, hnf
and mice were inoculated with the blood
plasma of the victims they developed
symptoms of the animal disease known
to veterinarians as toxoplasma and the
typical organisms were recovered from
their blood.
At the same time the association re-
ceived report from DR.. Albert B. Sabin
of Cincinnati of two boys afflicted, one
fatally, with Inflammation of the brain
Innings causing generalized convulsions,
fever, and marked increase of white blood
cells in the fluids of the brain and spine.
In both cases organisms were recovered
from the blood which could not be dis
tinguished from those previously found
in animals, DR.. Sabin says. With them
1t was possible to infect mice, guinea
pigs, chickens and monkeys.
His clue to the condition came from
report by the mother of one of the boys
that the child had been playing with
a sick cat. The source of the other boys
infection could not be traced.
There is every reason to believe, all
three reporting physicians say, that
human toxoplasma has been in existence
for a long time but has not been recoe-
nized because the symptoms are so
similar to those of other maladies. They
of cases which never develop into serious
illness and consequently never are re-
ported to physicians.
They urge that in local outbreaks Of
either spotted fever or atypical pneu-
monia blood plasma samples be taken
by local doctors and diagnosis
attempted by means of animal inocula-
ton. In their own cases, they say, there
was weakness and general illness present
for several days before the acute onset.
This was sudden, with chills, fever, and
skin eruption involving the whole body
except the palms, soles and scalp. This
may be one means of differentiating the
disease from spotted fever which causes
eruptions impartially all over the body
Both spotted fever and typhus often
end in pneumonia. In the new disease
the symptoms of pneumonia are present
from the beginning.
There is no known way Of combating
the sporozoa, which hitherto have not
been considered a problem in human
medicine.
1t has long been suspected that the
organisms may be spread from animal
to animal by means of mosquitoes. 1t
is also possible, Drs. Pinkerton and
Henderson say, that the malady may be
spread by dog ticks just as is Rocky
Mountain spotted fever itself. They are
not testing the tick hypothesis in their
laboratories.
1t is also possible, they say, that the
organisms may be transferred directly
from pet animals to man, or even from
person to person. This hypothesis Is
given extra weight by the case OF the
child who played with the family cat.