Plague: Its Cause and the Manner of its Extension, Its Menace, Its Control and Suppression, Its Diagnosis and TreatmentJackson, Thomas Wright
History
Plague: Its Cause and the Manner of its Extension, Its Menace, Its Control and Suppression, Its Diagnosis and Treatment
Jackson, Thomas Wright
Plague; Rats as carriers of disease
The cage containing the dead rat was immersed in kreolin
solution. At autopsy the cervical glands were found slightly
swollen, somewhat reddened, but no hæmorrhagic œdema of the
surrounding tissue was noticeable. There was slight necrosis
at the place of inoculation, showing superficial, purulent
discharge. Clear effusion in both pleural cavities and one
hemorrhage in the pleura were found. The lungs were
hyperæmic, but otherwise normal. The spleen was of somewhat
darker color, but otherwise normal in size and appearance.
The liver showed a slight degree of parenchymatous
degeneration, the congestion making prominent the structure
of the organ. The typical, although not constant, changes of
the organ, which are characteristic of natural plague
infection in rats, were absent. The kidneys were without
macroscopic change. The lymph glands, with exception of the
cervical nodes, were normal.
Examination of the rat's fur revealed ectoparasites on the
neck, under the chin, and back of the ears; these at the time
of the examination apparently were dead. About 6 common rat
fleas were found and identified as _Lœmopsylla cheopis_
Rothsch. The parasites were immersed in sterile salt solution
for three hours. When removed in a dry test tube, they began
to move about sluggishly. The intestinal tract of these fleas
contained blood.
Five of the fleas were crushed by means of sterile forceps,
and inserted in a pocket under the shaved skin of a
guinea-pig. The animal died of plague within three days,
showing considerable hemorrhagic œdema around the place of
inoculation, typical bilateral inguinal buboes, and
characteristic changes in the spleen. Smears and cultures
made from the bubo and spleen were positive for _Bacillus
pestis_.
Another wild rat, which was in a separate cage in the same
room where rat 1 had been kept, died twenty-four hours after
rat 1. The two cages were at least 10 centimetres apart. Rat
2 harbored fleas of the same species as were found on rat 1.
Numerous severe bites were detected back of the ears and on
the neck of the dead animal. The post-mortem findings were
identical with those described in rat 1; that is, cervical
buboes, pleural effusion, and slightly enlarged spleen.
It is well to remark that both rats had been kept in the same
room for about six months. Fleas had never been noticed on
our guinea-pigs. During the time the rats had been kept in
the plague house no irregular results were noticed in
plague-inoculated animals. At the time the first rat was
inoculated no other plague-infected animals were in the
plague house, and since that time another building has been
used for plague-infected animals.
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