102 abstracts: bacteriology 



Pharmacopoeias, with the provisions of the treaty signed at Brussels in 

 1906, is noted. The Pharmacopoeias published during 1909 and 1910 

 are reviewed and a summary of the compliances with the Protocol of the 

 Brussels Conference as evidenced by the Pharmacopoeias published from 

 1905 to 1910 is presented in the form of a table. 



Several additional tables presenting a comparison of the standards 

 for various official articles are also included and will no doubt prove to 

 be of value in connection with the present revision of the Pharmacopoeia 

 of the United States. 



In addition to their direct use as a ready reference to the comments on 

 the articles included in the Pharmacopoeia and the National Formulary 

 these Bulletins will also be found to be of value as a resume of the cur- 

 rent literature relating to widely used medicaments. M. G. M. 



M. I. W. 



BACTERIOLOGY. — XVI. Complement deviation and agglutination 

 in leprosy-immunity. Donald H. Currie and Moses T. Clegg, 

 Public Health and Marine Hospital Service. Public Health Bul- 

 letin 50. 



The authors report on complement deflection and on the presence of 

 agglutinins in immune sera, as a means of differentiating acid-fast bac- 

 teria. 



They used for their experiments acid-fast bacilli, cultivated from 

 leprous lesions, as well as a number of acid-fast bacilli isolated from other 

 sources. The authors found that similar extracts of both the lepra bacillus 

 and the Margarine bacillus would deflect the complement when com- 

 bined with certain lepers' serum, and further the serum of artificially 

 immunized animals against B. leprae would deflect the complement 

 when extracts of the Margarine bacillus was used as the antigen. 



Physiological salt solution, extract of the acid-fast bacilli and extracts 

 prepared with alkalinized hydrogen peroxide would bind the complement, 

 whereas very small amount of alcohol extracts and alcohol chloroform 

 extracts absorbed the complements. 



The authors were able to produce specific agglutinins in a horse by 

 repeated injections of increasing amounts of a suspension of the culti- 

 vated leprosy bacillus. This serum agglutinated in relatively high dilu- 

 tions, all acid-fast bacilli cultivated by the writers from patients suffer- 

 ing with leprosy. On the other hand agglutination did not occur with 

 suspension of acid-fast bacilli other than B. leprae. 



Donald H. Currie. 



