344 SUMMAKY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Paratyphoid Fever.*— According to De Feyfer and Kayser, Schott- 

 muller obtained cultivations of typical typhoid bacilli in 80 per cent, of 

 cases (numbering 118) diagnosed as typhoid fever; in seven cases an 

 organism of aberrant type was present. Kurth found a similar organism, 

 which is now known as the paratyphoid bacillus, of which there are two 

 types, A and B. In cultural characteristics both are intermediate be- 

 tween the typhoid bacillus and the Bacillus coll communis. They 

 ferment sugar but do not coagulate milk, and unlike the typhoid bacillus 

 cause fluorescence in neutral-red agar. They do not produce indol in 

 broth. A grows less luxuriantly and more slowly on all media than B. 

 Colonies of A are thin, glistening, and almost transparent ; those of B 

 are thicker and whitish. On potato the growth of A is invisible, while 

 B forms a thick grey-brown pellicle, like the colon bacillus. A does 

 not change milk, B in the course of weeks renders it limpid. Finally 

 the agglutination reaction is specific for both A and B. The two types, 

 therefore differ from each other as much as they do from the typhoid 

 and colon bacillus. 



Etiology of Sleeping Sickness.f — Aldo Castellani, a member of 

 the Commission sent to Uganda to investigate this disease, was unable 

 to find any of the germs described by previous workers, but found a 

 new variety of Streptococcus which he considers to be the cause of 

 sleeping sickness. He has grown the micro-organism in nine out of 

 eleven necropsies. The microscopic appearance is very variable, depend- 

 ing upon the media of cultivation, on the times of growth, &c, all 

 transitions from long chains to typical diplococci being seen. The form 

 and size of individuals are also variable. Well-defined mucoid capsules 

 are frequently seen about the chains and diplococci-forms, and in hang- 

 drop preparations the short chains and diplococci-forms show a well- 

 marked Brownian movement ; involution forms occur in old cultures. 

 It is easily stained with ordinary anilin-dye solutions. Details of culti- 

 vation in various media are given. Experiments on agglutination are 

 not complete, but results are so far satisfactory. The new variety is 

 distinguished from Streptococcus lanceolatus by the cultivation in gelatin 

 as S. lanceolatus does not grow, or grows only very badly on that medium. 

 From S. pyogenes it is differentiated by its much more vigorous growth 

 on all media and especially on agar, by the tendency of its colonies to 

 coalesce, and by the non-coagulation of milk. The author thinks it a 

 distinct variety between S. pyogenes and S. lanceolatus. 



Mycetozoa. 



Lepidoderma.J — A. F. Morgan describes a species he has found 

 which corresponds with Didymium Geaster. He describes it and classifies 

 it under Lepidoderma. 



* Munch. Med. Woch., 1902, pp. 1692 and 1752. See also Med. Rev., 1903 

 pp. 17-20. t Brit. Med. Journ., 1903, i. pp. 617-8. 



% Journ. Myc, Ixv. (1903) pp. 3-4. 



* i <£ > » * 



