Page 381 - My FlipBook

MVCETOZOA, ANIMAL-FUNQI OR FUNGOUS ANIMALS. 353

tlie Mjcetozoa, difter from the Myxomycetes in this, that they do
not form true plasmodia.
Zopf and others also ehxss among the Mycetozoa in a wider
sense, the Monadines, lower Mycetozoa, which hy many botanists
are referred to the animal kingdom. They show a course of
development in its principal features identical with that of the
Myxomycetes. These play an important part as parasites. They
attack not only all kinds of aquatic growths (algae, fungi, etc.),
but even higher plants; they have also been found in animal
bodies, in the muscles of pigs, in the digestive tract of mice, etc.
In the human digestive tract, especially in intestinal diseases,
amoebse (Amoeba coli) have been found in enormous numbers
(Losch, Cunningham, and others) ; furthermore, in the urine and
vaginal secretion of a o'irl sutferino- from tuberculosis of the uro-
genital organs (Biilz.) Marchiafava and Colli found plasmodia
in the blood of malarial patients. It has not been possible, how-
ever, to determine with certainty the pathogenic significance of
these organisms in the human body, although many (Woronin,-^
Koch,^*^Eidam,^and others) have expressed the opinion"that the
appearance and development of many pathological excrescences
and swellings occurring in the animal bod}' are brought about
by small Myxanid'bse which invade the living organism, develop
into plasmodia, and cause considerable irritation," etc.
riiio-o-e^ and Baumsjarten-^ also assign a o-reater sio-nificance
to the lower Mycetozoa as carriers of infection.
As far as I know, no investigations have been made concern-
ing the occurrence of Monadines in the human mouth ; but that
they are often introduced into the oral cavity with vegetable
food and water cannot be doubted.

23