336 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



paratyphosus group of bacteria. The cultural characters on gelatin, 

 potato and litmus milk class it in the Salmonella group, but the reaction 

 upon metallic salt media (double tartarate of iron and potassium gelatin, 

 nitro-prusside of sodium agar and neutral acetate of lead agar), are those 

 of B. paratyphosus A. The agglutination reactions, however, were those 

 of B. paratyphosus B. It is thus obvious that no single reaction, or 

 group of reactions, can be depended upon for the complete identification 

 of an organism, but that all available methods of investigation should be 

 applied if sources of error in diagnosis are to be avoided. 



Cristispira polydorge.* — F. Mesnil and M. Caullery have isolated 

 from a sea annelid {PoJydora flava) a spirochoete organism to which they 

 have given the name " Cristispira polydorse.'''' This microbe is met with 

 in the glandular region of the digestive tube. When the animal is 

 crushed this portion of the intestine is broken, and a yellowish fluid, in 

 -which the parasites are found, is extruded. The spiroch^etes are best 

 stained by the method of Casares-Gil for cilia staining (tannin-ink, 

 ■chloride of alumina, and basic fuchsin). The parasite possesses a 

 flexible body, some 10 to 25 fx. in length. An undulating membrane 

 can be made out, which stains strongly and follows the movements of 

 the body. In this respect it resembles the spirochsete of the crystalline 

 body of lamellibranch molluscs, which also belongs to the same genus. 

 The extremities of the body are slightly pointed, sometimes rounded. 

 Longitudinal division was not observed ; fission, if it occurs, is probably 

 transverse. 



Urinary Infection with Pseudo-plague Bacillus.f— C. Elders 

 reports the finding of a member of the Pasteurella group of bacteria in 

 the urine of a patient suffering from pyelocystitis of long standing. 

 Cultures of the organism on agar plates gave smooth lens-shaped 

 colonies with regular edges, greyish-white in colour, and at first quite 

 transparent. They were shiny, viscous, and were capable of being 

 drawn out in threads when touched with the platinum needle. Micro- 

 scopically the organisms appeared as bi-polar bacilli. Gram-negative and 

 non-motile, measuring 2-3 //. in length by 0"75 ^ in breadth. Growth 

 occurred at room temperature on Loeffler's medium, gelatin and agar, 

 the organisms on agar being coccoid in form. Gelatin was not liquefied, 

 and milk was clotted in four days at 37° C. Turbidity with sedimenta- 

 tion and film formation was observed in urine media. In peptone water 

 indol production was demonstrable on the seventh day. Growth on 

 potato was scanty, but the organisms which grew formed long threads 

 some 10 fji in length. Rothberger's neutral agar was not reduced and 

 gas formation was not in evidence. Acid, without gas, was produced in 

 glucose, levulose and galactose. Lactose was fermented slowly, but no 

 change occurred in maltose and sacchrose, nor was hfemolysis present in 

 blood agar. The virus was pathogenic to rabbits, but small doses pro- 



* C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxx. (1917) pp. 1119-21. 



t Neder. Tijdschr. v. Geneeskunde, xvi. (1917) pp. 1391-6. 



