The essentials of practical bacteriology : an elementary laboratory book for students and practitioners / by H. J. Curtis.

  • Curtis, Henry J.
Date:
1900
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The essentials of practical bacteriology : an elementary laboratory book for students and practitioners / by H. J. Curtis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

    163/314 (page 145)
    EXPERiaiENTAL INOCULATION After examining a very considerable number of mnnes from cases of supposed urinary tuberculosis occurring in hospital and private practice, personal experience leads me to the beUef that prolonged examination of the stained, centrifugalised, urinary deposit by any careful observer will, in most cases, give a positive result, if the case be really one of tuberculosis. In the event of a negative result, where the clinical features of the case favour the diagnosis of tuber- culosis, inoculation of highly susceptible animals, such as the guinea- pig, should be resorted to, as this is the most reliable method of all, a reliable, positive result being obtainable in a fortnight, or even earlier (see p. 148). The inoculation of animals for diagnostic purposes, with a fluid suspected of containing tubercle bacilli. The most suitable animal is a guinea-pig, and the method recom- mended is to inject into the subcutaneous tissue in the neighbourhood of the left knee joint, 1 or 2 cub. cms. of an emulsion made by rubbing up in sterile nutrient broth, or normal saline solution, the suspected material, sputum, centrifugalised urinary deposit, &c. Two animals are used: the first is killed in a fortnight's time, and if the lesion, to be mentioned, is found, the second animal is killed in three weeks' time; but should there be no evidence of tuberculosis in the first animal, the second is kept for four or five weeks. Film preparations to show the tubercle bacilli may be made from the caseating lymphatic glands, as also pure cultures on serum. The advantages of this method of inoculating guinea-pigs for the diagnosis of tuberculosis were pointed out by Sheridan Delepine.' The accompanying drawing (fig. 79) has been made to illustrate the effect of such inoculation with the centrifugalised deposit from the urine from a case of tuberculous disease of the kidney. The cen- trifugalised deposit itself, from the same case, shows (tig. 78) the presence of tubercle bacilli in clumps. Lesions in the inoculated animal.—As Sheridan Del6pine pointed out (Zoc. cit.) the lymphatic glands are affected in a detinite order by the tubercle bacilH injected, so that, beginning from the seat of inoculation in the region of the left knee joint, the first one to be affected is the left popUteal gland. This shows well-marked caseation, and is frequently reduced to a mere bag of 'pus,' which may escape into the tissues, forming an abscess between the muscles of the thigh, extending almost up to the pelvis. The next glands to be affected are, in order, the left superficial ' Brit. Med. Journ., September 23, 1893. L