The Animal Parasites of ManFantham, Harold Benjamin
Science
The Animal Parasites of Man
Fantham, Harold Benjamin
Medical parasitology
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.
[139] _Journ. Amer. Med. Assoc._, xlvi, p. 1283: _Journ. Exptl. Med._
(1909), xi, p. 515.
Genus. *Toxoplasma*, Nicolle and Manceaux, 1908.
The genus was created for crescentic, oval or reniform parasites,
2·5 µ to 6 µ by 2 µ to 3 µ, possessing a single nucleus and
multiplying by binary fission. They occur in mononuclear and
polymorphonuclear cells in the blood, spleen, liver, peritoneum etc.
(fig. 51). The parasites have been found in the gondi, dog, rabbit,
mole, mouse, pigeon and other birds. Although various species names
have been given to the parasites in these hosts, it seems probable,
from cross infection experiments, that there is but one species with
several physiological races. Splendore[140] (1913) has described a
flagellate stage.
[140] _Bull. Soc. Path. Exot._, vi, p. 318.
[Illustration: 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.)]
[Illustration: 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.)]
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