Lymphogranuloma venereum in the female

Abstract

YMPHOGRANULOMA venereum now L seems to be the acceptabIe name for a disease with so many appelIations as to confuse even workers in the fieId of venerea1 disease. Four years ago we described some urethral Iesions as“Iymphopathia venereum,“l a term originated by WoIf and SuIzberger.” This seemed to be a superior term. However, since the CumuIative Index now Iists this as IymphogranuIoma venereum, the future Iiterature should be correlated under this titIe. Among many other names this disease was caIIed tropical or climatic bubo. The most wideIy known name in recent years has been IymphogranuIoma inguinaIe. It was 0riginaIIy appIied by Durand, NicoIas and Favre3 in 1913 to chronic inguina1 adenitis with muItipIe draining sinuses. The term was applied because of an apparent microscopic simiIarity with Hodgkin’s disease I,,“ Iymphogranuloma “), The study of this condition progressed littIe or none unti1 1923, when Frei4 discovered the diagnostic properties of an antigen prepared from the bacteriologically sterile pus removed from buboes. This important skin test gave impetus to worId wide studies and a tremendous Iiterature has deveIoped. Many obscure Iesions quite unconnected with the inguina1 adenitis have now been brought together. The disease has been transferred to monkeys and to mice (HeIIerstriim and Wass!m,5 and others), producing characteristic meningitis after intracerebrar inocuIation; to guinea pigs (Meyer, RosenfeId and Ander$) producing a typica inguina1 adenitis after inocuIation in the groin; and to other animals. The fiIterabIe virus nature of the causative agent has been made cIear by a number of investigators. It has been cultured on tissue-Tyrode media by Tamura.7 The entity of this virus disease is undisputed at the present time.