Further Studies on Kala-azar Leishmania in Nasal and Oral Secretions of Patients and the Bearing of This Finding on the Transmission of the Disease

Previous studies (1) of the nasal secretions of patients suffering from kala-azar yielded the following facts: (a) Smears from the nasal cavities of fifteen patients, when examined microscopically, revealed the presence of Leishman-Donovan bodies in nine cases. (b) Smears from the surface of the pharyngeal tonsil and from the saliva of one of these nine cases also showed the presence of leishmania. (c) The parenchyma of the tonsil of this latter case, at autopsy, was found to be massively infected with the parasites. (d) The nasal secretions of two patients were injected intraperitoneally into susceptible animals with the result that the animals became heavily infected, demonstrating that the parasites were viable. These experiments showed for the first time that a rich source of infective material from a large proportion of patients with kala-azar was available for direct transmission of the disease. The present communication gives data confirming and extending the previous observations.