[Lynchia.—Three members of this genus have been shown to transmit the non-pathogenic (?) organism, Hæmoproteus columbæ amongst pigeons in Algeria and S. America.
Insects and Epidemic Poliomyelitis.
[In a recent number of the Journal of Economic Entomology,[428] Brues and Sheppard point out the possibility of acute epidemic poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis) being an insect-borne disease. They summarize as follows:—
[Many facts connected with the distribution of cases and the spread of epidemics of this disease with histories of insects bites, suggest at least that the disease may be insect-borne. Field work during the past summer, together with a consideration of the epidemiology of the disease so far known, points strongly towards biting flies as possible carriers of the virus. It seems probable that the common stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans, L.) may be responsible to a certain extent for the spread of acute epidemic poliomyelitis, possibly aided by other biting flies such as Tabanus lineola. No facts which disprove such a hypothesis have as yet been adduced, and experiments based upon it are now in progress.
[If the disease should prove to be common to any species of domestic animals, as is now strongly suspected, a secondary connection of ticks in spreading the disease among such animals seems probable, as has been mentioned.
[The following is some of the more important literature on Diptera in general: Meigen, J. W., “Syst. Besch. d. bek. europ. zweiflügligen insecten,” 1818–1838, 7 vols.; Brauer, F., “Monographie der Oestriden,” Wien, 1863; Idem, “Nachtr. hiersu,” Wien. ent. Zeit., 1887, vi, pp. 4, 71; Schiner, J. R., “Fauna austriaca: die Fliegen,” Wien, 1860–64; Löw, Fr., “Ueber Myiasis und ihre Erzeuger,” Wien. med. Wochenschr., 1882, xxii, p. 247; 1883, xxxiii, p. 972; Joseph, G., “Ueb. Fliegen als Schädlinge und Parasiten des Menschen,” Deutsch. med. Zeit., 1885, i, p. 37; 1887, iii, pp. 713 and 725; Peiper, E., “Fliegenlarven als gelegentl. Paras. d. Mensch.,” Berlin, 1900; Theobald, F. V., “Monograph of the Culicidæ of the World,” 1901–1911, 5 vols. and 1 atlas, plates; Austen, E., “A Monograph of Glossina Tsetse-flies,” 1903, 1 vol.; Van der Wulp, “Diptera neerlandica,” 1877; Walker, “Insecta Britannica: Diptera,” 1851–53 and 1856; Lundbeck, “Diptera danica,” 1907–12; Zetterstedt, “Diptera scandinaviæ,” 1850; Theobald, “British Flies,” 1892; Aldrich, “N. American Diptera,” 1905; Loew and Osten Sacken, “Monographs of the N. American Diptera,” 1862–63 and 1869; Macquart, “Diptera exotique,” 1830–47; Rondani, “Diptera exotica et Italica,” 1863–68; Williston, “Manual of Families and Genera of N. American Diptera,” second edition; Verrall, “British Flies.” A fuller literature will be found in Peiper, as well as in Huber’s “Bibliographie d. klin. Ent.,” 1899, iii, Jena, in the Bibliography at the end of this work and in the Rev. of App. Ent. (Dulau and Co., London), where all references to modern research can be found.—F. V. T.]
ADDENDA.
Akamushi or Kedani Sickness (vide also p. 487).—Schuffner (Far East. Assoc. Trop. Med., Compt. rend. Trois. Cong. Biennial, 1913, Saigon, 1914, pp. 309–315) states he observed a peculiar fever in Deli, Sumatra, somewhat resembling typhoid. This he traced either to a mite or tick. He figures the possible carriers, namely, a Trombidium and Cheyletidæ. He calls this disease pseudo-typhus—a variant of Japanese kedani sickness, which, he says, also occurs in the Philippines.