488 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



maltose ; that Meningococcus ferments dextrose and maltose, but not 

 kevulose ; that DipUeoccus flavus ferments dextrose, bevnlose. and 

 maltose ; and that Micrococcus catarrhalis and M. cinereus ferment 

 neither dextrose, lasvulose, nor maltose. 



Bacillus i'usiformis (Vincent) cultivated in Symbiosis.* — (J. Proca 

 finds that B.fusiformis grows especially luxuriantly in a broth containing 



II. subtil is and streptococcus, and, instead of forming a thick deposit, is 

 distributed through the liquid medium. Similar abundant growth 

 occurs when B.fusiformis and streptococcus are grown in a sterilised 

 broth culture of B. coli or B. typhosus : if the broth is diluted with 

 distilled water so that the growth of the streptococcus can hardly take 

 place, the B.fusiformis still grows abundantly. B.fusiformis inoculated 

 together with B. subtilis on pepton agar, prepared without meat, forms 

 after 3-4 days' incubation, small round, circumscribed, whitish-yellow 

 opaque colonies, composed of typical bacillary forms. In broth, in the 

 presence of B. subtilis and streptococcus, the B.fusiformis has a spirillar 

 appearance ; this spirillum form when transferred to solid media repro- 

 duces the typical fusiform bacillus. 



Bacterium cystinse.f — H. Muller - Thurgau describes four new 

 species of cyst-forming organisms (bacterienblasen). (1) Bacterium 

 man n itopmum is found occasionally in fruit wines as snow-white flocculi 

 measuring 1-3 cm. in diameter, composed of short or long, jointed or 

 un jointed rods up to 50/x long ; the rods are not motile, and have no 

 flagella ; spore-formation does not occur ; they tend to form zoogloeic 

 masses ; growth occurs on gelatin, which is not liquefied ; the rods stain 

 by ordinary dyes, and also by Gram's method ; it is a potential anaerobe, 

 with a minimum temperature of 8°-10°C, and an optimum of 25°-30°C. ; 

 it ferments kevulose and saccharose, but not maltose, dextrose, or 

 mannite. (2) B. gracile resembles the preceding : it is found in zoo- 

 glceic masses and bladders in fruit wines, especially in certain perry ; it 

 occurs as short non-motile rods 1-1 ■ 2 p. long, long threads not being 

 observed. No spore-formation occurs ; the staining reaction and 

 chemical characters were not examined. (3) Micrococcus cystiopceus 

 forms zoogloeic masses and bladders in fruit wines, and occurs as cocci, 

 diplococci, and tetrads. (4) A micrococcus resembling the preceding, 

 and found in bladders in fruit wine, but was not studied in pure culture. 



Studies in Mediterranean Fever.i — E. Sergent and others find that 

 the goats of Algiers are only affected to a small extent in comparison 

 with the Maltese goats, viz. 4*2 p.c. as against 30-50 p. a, and suggest 

 that this is due probably to the fact that Algerian goats are impure 

 breeds, strongly mixed with Spanish goats. Mediterranean fever seems 

 to be enzooic with goats of Maltese breed. The author finds that the 

 infection may be conveyed to ail domestic animals and to man by 

 ingestion or by contact of the micrococcus excreted in the milk or the 

 urine. 



Intestinal Flora of certain Orthoptera.§ — A. Sartory and Clerc 

 have made cultivations on agar, glucose-agar, and in broth from the 



* C.E. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxiv. (1908) p. 771. 

 f Centralbl. Bakt., 2te Abt., xx. (1908) p. 445. 

 t Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xxii. (1908) p. 209. 

 § C.E,. Soc. Biol. Paris, lxiv. (1908) p. 544. 



