Report on the outbreak of plague in the state of Queensland, 1903. / Department of Public Health, Brisbane.

  • Queensland.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report on the outbreak of plague in the state of Queensland, 1903. / Department of Public Health, Brisbane. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    APPENDIX E. BACTERIOLOGHCAL REPORT. {Extracts from a Eeport on the lour ovlhreaks in Brisbane). Plague Investigations. The first case of plague during the fourth e])idemic occurred on the 8th February, 1903, and up to tlie present time fifty-four suspected cases have been examined, of whicli nineteen (Brisbane) were proved podtive by bacteriological examination. In all suspected cases of plague in the living subject a specimen of lymph, gland, or sputum was obtained. From post-mortem cases it is customary to examine portions of the spleen, Ih^er, lung, and kidney, and any suspicious-looking lymphatic glands. In evey case, with few unavoidable exceptions, as shown in the accompanying tabic, the material is submitted to the three following tests : — 1. The microscopical examination of stained specimens for B. Pestis. 2. Inoculation of the suspected material on culture media. 3. Subcutaneous inoculation of a guinea-pig. * ****** 4. During the classification and examination of rats I occasionally came across a hybrid variety which, from the small ears and very long tail and reddish-brown colour of its coat, was evidently a cross between the Mus Decumanus and the Mus Ale.randrinus. ******* During the last plague outbreak in Townsville I found, as a result cf examining a large nuniPer of rats captured on the wharves and in various warehouses, stores, Ac.,in the city and suburbs, that the brown species was in a very decided minority% while, at about tlic'same period in llockhampton, I found the brown rat veiy common, and the black extremely rare. ******* According to the number of rats received for examination during an epizootic of plague, evidently about 30 per cent, of the iufected animals completely recover In making the post-mortem examination, those recovered rats are readily detected by the mass of ji'guient (the products of an inflammatory process) in and around what was an infected gland. As each outbreak ot plague gradually draws to a close, so the rats in this condition become more and more numerous, which is evidence pointing in the direction that the micro-organisms, for some reason unexplained, gradually lose a consulerabie amount of their virulence after a certain period during i he epizootic. ******* It is a significant fact that of the many thousands of rats that have been captured alive in Brisbane comparatively few are found to harbour H'. as. At the same time there is ample evidence that in mmy instances tleas are responsible for the spread of plague from rat to rat and Irom rat to man.