Annual report / Department of Public Health, Research Institute and Endemic Diseases Hospital.

  • Egypt. Maṣlaḥat al-Ṣiḥḥah al-ʻUmūmīyah. Research Institute and Endemic Diseases Hospital.
Date:
[1936]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report / Department of Public Health, Research Institute and Endemic Diseases Hospital. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the area of cultivable land lias increased 25 per cent. It is also noteworthy that the symptoms of the disease in the still positive cases have become much milder and the pathological complications of Bilharzia are entirely absent. C.—Experimental Schistosomiasis (This work is still conducted on various animals.) Trematode Infection among Egyptian Snails. During the survey of the Egyptian larval trematodes, I came across Limnea caillaudi collected from an agricultural drain in the vicinity of Abu Zaabal Prison. This drain was constantly frequented by sheep and goats. Considerable amounts of their excreta were observed among the weeds and plants on either side of the canal. Together uith the snails.—Out of 20 full grown specimens of Limnea, 5 liberated many gymoncephalus cercariae identcial in morphology with F. liepatica. They were 2-48 millimetres in length, the body being 68 milli¬ metres, 56 millimetres. The tail fully extended measured 1*8 milli¬ metres in length. The oral sucker was 90 in diameter, leading down to a mascular pharynx and a short oesophagus bifurcating in two intestinal ceca, reaching the posterior border of the body. The ventral sucker is also 90 in diameter. The parynchyma of the body is occupied with cystogenous gland obscuring the finer details of the excretory system. When the infected snails were put in a beaker containing water and aquatic plants, the cercariae swam actively for a short time. Afterwards they crawled on the sides of the vessel or on the stem and leaves of the plants ip. order to encyst. The body of the cercaria became rounded up, and a thick gelatinous secretion was exuded, separating it from the tail. The wall of the cyst consisted of two layers. The inner was dark brownish in colour and the outer was clear. The diameter of the cysts varied from 340 to 360 u. They retained their vitality for a period of 10 days, provided that they were kept moist. No further metamorphosis was observed inside the cysts. The metacercariae becoming infective, directly they reached the final hosts. (Figs. 1, 2 and 3, PI. I). Direct feeding experiments were carried out on rabbits. The first received 20 cysts given by mouth. 50 days later, it died. Autopsy revealed severe haemorrhages in the peritoneal cavity due to rupture of the liver capsule. This organ was enlarged and showed greyish white patches on the surface. Two immature flukes were squeezed out of the liver and two others were found free in the peritoneal cavity. Each worm measured 15 millimetres in length by 4 millimetres in breadth.