A CYTOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE NATURE OF RICKETTSIA IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER

The Rickettsia of Rocky Mountain spotted fever were easily differentiated from mitochondria, phagocytosed blood pigment, nuclear debris, and all other known cellular constituents. Although they were lodged within the cytoplasm of endothelial cells, they were not observed to establish any definite relations with the nucleus or with other cellular components. Their number varied in contiguous cells which sustained the same degree of injury as evidenced by nuclear changes, and alterations in their mitochondria content. The mitochondria, on the other hand, showed similar modifications, characterized by a decrease in number and a rounding up into spherules, in all the endothelial cells seen in a section of an affected blood vessel. Diplobacillary forms were most abundant in the early stages of the reaction and single bacillary bodies towards its termination. Other slight differences in morphology from Wolbach's account were noted in the organisms as seen in the tissues of both ticks and guinea pigs. His study of the distribution of specific lesions with accompanying organisms in the tissues of guinea pigs was confirmed and extended.