574 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Biochemical Difference between two principal Vinegar Ferments.* 

 — G. Bertrand and R. Sazerac point out that, while the sorbose bac- 

 terium, Bacterium xylinum Brown, rapidly oxidises glycerin and trans- 

 forms it into dioxyacetone, Mycoderma aceti scarcely at all affects that 

 substance. 



Oxidation of Propylglycol by Mycoderma aceti.f — A. Kling, who 

 had already noticed that propylglycol is fermented by the sorbose bac- 

 terium, recently experimented with Mycoderma aceti, and found that, 

 though a little more active than the sorbose bacterium, its oxidising 

 action resulted in the formation of acetol. 



Active Principle of Typhoid Cultures.* — Paladino-Blandini iso- 

 lated two substances from typhoid cultures, one a greyish-white sub- 

 stance having the chemical characters of a nuclein, the other yellowish- 

 brown, in shining fragile scales, and having the properties of a nucleo- 

 albumen. The agglutinating power was found to depend on the presence 

 of the nucleo-albumen, which was also capable of endowing the blood 

 of animals treated with it with the power of agglutination. This 

 nucleo-albumen is unable to act without the presence and assistance 

 of leucocytes. 



Bacillus terrestris sporigenes.§ — Dr. W. Rullmann describes a 

 spore-forming bacillus which occurs in soil and on floors. Some of its 

 characteristics resemble those of the typhoid bacillus, while others re- 

 call the lactic acid bacteria. Its origin and its rapid spore-formation 

 suggest the designation Bacillus terrestris sporigenes. It is a rodlet with 

 rounded ends, from 1 ■ 5-9 fx long and • 5-0 • 75 /x broad. In bouillon 

 it forms unjointed threads which, in ten days, run into filaments 60-70 li 

 long. Its optimum temperature lies between 22° and 37°. During the 

 first 24 hours of a culture it exhibits lively movements and has 8-16 

 peritrichous flagella. It is decolorised by Gram's method, but less 

 quickly than the typhoid bacillus. On agar the growth is bluish-white 

 and moist looking ; cultures at 37° exhibit copious spore-formation, and 

 at 22° sporogenous bodies (Babes-Ernst). It does not produce gas 

 or acidulate milk or form indol. 



Gelatin is not liquefied, and many of the colonies are indistin- 

 guishable from those of typhoid. It is not pathogenic to mice, guinea- 

 pigs, or rabbits. 



Morphology of Staphylococcus albus.|| — E. Saul makes a pre- 

 liminary communication on the morphology of the colonies of Micro- 

 coccus albus. In order to study these, cultures were made from single 

 germs. This end was attained by dilution or by allowing a bouillon 

 culture which had been mixed with 60 p.c. glycerin to stand for 

 some days. Grown in this way, deep-lying agar colonies exhibited three 

 types : discoid, spherical, and stellate. Superficial colonies were always 

 circular. 



* Comptes Rendus, cxxxii. (1901) pp. 1504-7. 

 t Op. cit., cxxxiii. (1901) pp. 231-3. 



% Rifnrma Med.. 1901. See Brit. Med. Journ., 1901, Epit. 438. 

 § Centralbl. Bakt., 1" Abt., xxix. (1901) pp. 969-72. 



|| Hygienische Rundschau, x. pp. 575-7. See Bot. Centralbl., lxxxvi. (1901) 

 p. 227. 



