Abstract
The observation of spirochetes in the gastric glands of Macacus rhesus by Cowdry and Scott 1 prompted the study of the incidence of these organisms and reaction associated with or caused by their presence in the sections of the gastro-intestinal tract of the animals used in their study. Sections of human stomach taken at necropsy in the Department of Pathology of Washington University School of Medicine were made available by Dr. H. A. McCordock.
As early as 1884 Escherich 2 observed and reported spirochetes in the stools of patients with cholera. Spirochetes were described by Bizzozero 3 in the gastric glands and parietal cells of dogs in 1893.
In spite of the many reports of spirochetes in the stools of normal humans as well as in cases of so-called “spirochetal dysentery” which had been cured in many cases by treatment with arsenicals, a review of the literature fails to reveal observations or studies of these organisms in the human stomach. Mühlens 4 and Luger and Neuberger 5 have reported spirochetes in ulcerating carcinomas of the stomach but reports of spirochetes in the gastric glands or parietal cells of humans were not found.
Kasai and Kobayashi 6 experimented with lower animals which showed a definite tendency of these spirochetes of cats to become pathogenic to rabbits. Hemorrhagic erosion and ulceration of the mucosa about masses of spirochetes was described.
Edkins 7 described what he considered a granular phase of these spirochetes in cats when the cats were not fed for several hours.
In all the observations reactions to these organisms are not reported.
In Macacus rhesus the spirochetes were observed in the gastric glands and parietal cells (hematoxylin and eosin stained sections) in 100% of 24 control animals and 19 test animals. The marked tendency for these organisms to invade the parietal cells was noted. In most cases a few spirochetes were also seen in the neck chief cells.
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