An Attempt to Transmit Poliomyelitis by the Bite of Lyperosia Irritans

An Attempt to Transmit Poliomyelitis by the Bite of Lyperosia IrritansAuthor(s): Edward FrancisSource: The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jul., 1914), pp. 1-5Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30073392 .

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The

Journal of Infectious

Diseases PUBLISHED BY THE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES

VOL. I5 July Ip91r4 No. I

AN ATTEMPT TO TRANSMIT POLIOMYELITIS BY THE BITE OF LYPEROSIA IRRITANS *

EDWARD FRANCIS

(From the Laboratory of the Public Health Service, U. S. Marine Hospital, Savannah, Ga.)

Owing to the successful transmission of poliomyelitis from monkey to mnonkey through the bite of Stomoxys calcitrans reported by Rosenau and Brues and later by Anderson and Frost, it occurred to the writer, while investigating an epidemic of poliomyelitis in Tex- arkana and the vicinity in June and July, 1913, that possibly Lyperosia irritans might be similarly concerned in the transmission of that disease, because this blood-sucking fly prevailed in great numbers on the farms about Texarkana.

The idea was tested in experiments made at the United States Marine Hospital, Savanah, Ga., in August and September, 1913, and the results are here reported.

The poliomyelitis virus employed was obtained from the Hygienic Laboratory in Washington, and consisted of portions of the cervical and lumbar cord of a macacus rhesus monkey which had succumbed with typical symptoms of the disease July 26, 1913. Macacus rhesus monkeys were used in these experiments.

* Received for publication November 4, 1913.



2 EDWARD FRANCIS

Lyperosia irritans is a blood-sucking fly found in great numbers on cattle. Its most striking gross characteristic is the head-downward

position which it assumes on a cow. The position is well illustrated in

FIG. 1.-Lyperosia irritans in a cage, showing head-downward position.



POLIOMYELTTIS AND LYPEROSIA IRRITANS 3

the accompanying photograph, which, while it was taken of the flies in a cage, is equally illustrative of the position which they take on the neck, shoulders, and sides of a cow. Another striking characteristic of these flies is their predilection for black cattle. Almost none are found on the white and yellow animals. The flies used in these experi-

FIG. 2.-Fly cage, over which monkeys were placed

ments were collected in a net from the cows which had just been admitted to the barn for milking in a dairy at Savannah, Ga. Before starting the experiment it was thought that Stomoxys would be found mixed in with Lyperosia, but fortunately only four Stomoxys were found among almost 6,000 Lyperosia collected. Great difficulty was experienced in keeping the flies alive in captivity. If left unfed for



4 EDWARD FRANCIS

twenty-four hours practically all of the flies die. It was found that

frequent feeding on a live animal was necessary. The plan finally adopted was to allow them to bite a monkey every

six hours. The type of cage in which the flies were kept is shown in the illustration. After being shaven on the belly and insides of the thighs, the monkey was stretched over the wire gauze through which the flies fed.

EXPERIMENT 1.

SHOWING DATES AND HOUR OF EXPOSURE OF MONKEYS 1, 2, 3 AND 4, TO THE BITES OF THE FLIES

August Sept. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2

Fly Cage A. 6 A. M 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 12 M 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 P. M 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 2 2

12P. M 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Number of Flies 1,050 300 300 250 250 150 150 150 FlyCageB. 6A. M 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3

12 M 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 6P. M 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3

12 P. M 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Number of Flies 750 200 200 200 180 120 120 75

Cage A was stocked with flies August 21 at 4 p. m. The flies fed on a rabbit at 6 p. m.

Cage B was stocked with flies August 22 at 4 p. m. The flies fed on a rabbit at 6 p. m.

Monkeys were applied to the cages for an hour and a half every six hours each day.

Monkey 1 was inoculated intracerebrally with poliomyelitis virus August 21 at 1 p. m., and fed the flies in Cage A. He developed poliomyelitis August 25 followed by complete paralysis, and was chloroformed August 28.

Monkey 2 fed the flies in Cages A and B, thus affording the flies in Cage B an opportunity to become infected through Monkey 2.

Monkey 3 fed only the flies in Cage B; it was hoped thus to demonstrate that the flies in Cage B had become infected from Monkey 2.

Monkey 4 helped to feed the flies in Cage A after the death of Monkey 1, but developed a bloody diarrhea August 29 which proved fatal September 5, and at autopsy was shown to be due to a severe colitis.

EXPERIMENT 2.

HOWING DATES AND HOUR OF EXPOSURE OF MONKEYS 5, 6, 7, 8, TO THE BITES OF THE FLIES

September 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

ly Cage C 6 A.M 6 5 5 5 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 6 8 8 6 8 8 8 8 12

M 5 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

6P.M 6 5 5 5 7 7 6 7 6 6 8 8 6 8 8 8 8 8 12P. M 5 7 6 7 6 6 6 7 6 7 7 6 8 8

umber of Flies 900 250 250 240 150 150 150 200 150 120 75 30 25 20 15 5 ly Cage D 6

A. M 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7

12 M 5 5 5 7 6 7 6 7 6P. M 7 6 7 6 6 7 6 7 12P. M 5 5 5 5 7 7 6 7 6 6

umber of Flies 760 200 200 150 150 100 100

(Flies from both cages were put into Cage C September 15.)



POLIOMYELITIS AND LYPEROSIA IRRITANS 5

Cage C was stocked with flies September 4 at 4 p. m. The flies fed on a rabbit at 6 p. m.

Cage D was stocked with flies September 5 at 4 p. m. The flies fed on a rabbit at 6 p. m.

Monkeys were applied to the cages for an hour and a half every six hours each day.

Monkey 5 was inoculated intracerebrally with poliomyelitis virus September 4 at 11 a. m. and fed the flies in both cages. He showed definite symptoms of poliomyelitis on September 8, and died September 9 at 11 a. m.

Monkey 6 fed the flies in both cages until September 16 when he was replaced by Monkey 8.

Monkey 7 fed the flies in both cages until September 15 when he was killed accidentally. Altho he had remained healthy, a piece of his cervical cord was inoculated intracerebrally into a fresh monkey which remained healthy.

Monkey 8 on September 16 began feeding the flies which had been con- densed from both cages into Cage C.

The number and kinds of flies with which the cages were stocked in these experiments is shown below:

Aug. 21 Aug. 22 Sept. 4 Sept. 5

Lyperosia irritans 1,050 750 900 760 Musca domestica 56 57 10 31 Stomoxys calcitrans 1 0 1 1

SUMMARY

Lyperosia irritans in Experiment 1 were allowed to bite a rhesus monkey twice daily for a period of six days from the time of inocula- tion with poliomyelitis virus until its death, and were allowed to bite a fresh rhesus monkey twice daily during the same period, and twice daily during the succeeding six days. This monkey remained well.

Lyperosia irritans in Experiment 2 were allowed to bite a rhesus monkey twice daily for a period of four days from the time of inocu- lation with poliomyelitis virus until its death, and were allowed to bite two fresh rhesus monkeys (6 and 7) twice daily during the above period, and during the succeeding eight and seven days, respectively. Monkey 6 remained healthy. Monkey 7 was accidentally killed at the end of the seven-day period. A portion of its cervical cord was inoculated into a fresh monkey which remained healthy.

The flies employed in Experiment 2 were allowed to bite a fresh rhesus monkey (8) three times daily for eight days beginning on the twelfth day from the first exposure of the flies to an infected monkey. Monkey 8 remained healthy.

Monkeys 2, 3, 6 and 8 were still healthy October 27, 1913.



Documents

An Attempt to Transmit Poliomyelitis by the Bite of Lyperosia Irritans