CHAPTER VII.
FARCIN BU BCEUF.

THE peculiar disease which sometimes affects numbers
of cattle in Guadeloupe, and which was described by
the older writers as farcin du bceuf, has been carefully
studied by Nocard. It is a disease of cattle character-
ized by a superficial lymphangitis and lymphadenitis,
affecting the tracheal, axillary, prescapular, and other
glands. The affected glands enlarge, suppurate, and
discharge a creamy, sometimes a grumous, pus. The
internal organs are often affected with a pseudo-tubercu-
losis whose central areas undergo a purulent or caseous
degeneration.

In the researches of Nocard it was discovered, by
staining by Gram's and by Kiihne's methods, that in
the centres of the tubercles micro-organisms could be
defined. They resembled long delicate filaments rather
intricately woven, characterized by distinct ramifications
which made clear the proper classification of the organ-
ism as a streptothrix. The organism was successfully
cultivated by Nocard upon various culture-media at the
temperature of the body. It is aerobic.

In bouillon the organism develops in the form of color-
less masses irregular in size and shape, some of which
float upon the surface, others of which sink to the bottom
of the liquid. Sometimes the surface is covered by an
irregular fenestrated pellicle of a gray color.

Upon agar-agar the growth develops in small, rather
discrete, irregularly rounded, opaque masses of a yellow-
ish-white color. The surfaces of the colonies are tuber-
culated, and an appearance somewhat like a lichen is
observed (see Fig. 71).

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