602 SUMMAKY OF CUREENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Schizophyta. 

 Schizomycetes. 



Bacillus neigeux.* — Jungano has isolated this organism from cases 

 of cystitis, gangrenous infiltration of the perineum, and pyonephrosis. 

 The bacillus resembles B. perfringms : it is non-motile, stains uniformly 

 with aniline dyes, and also by Gram's method. It only develops 

 under anaerobic conditions, growing well on glucose at 37° C, and 

 forming, after 18 hours, small white points which under a low power 

 have the appearance of bone-cells with canalicular prolongations ; 

 after 24 hours, development is completed as dense masses of irregular 

 finely arborescent colonies, resembling flakes of snow ; there is no pro- 

 duction of gas ; at 22° C. growth takes place more slowly, colonies only 

 appearing at the bottom of the tube after 5-6 days ; it does not grow 

 on gelatin ; broth is uniformly clouded at the end of 24 hours, and after 

 36 hours becomes completely clear, with a deposit at the bottom of the 

 tube. It does not form spores ; subcutaneous injection of guinea-pigs 

 and rabbits causes an induration which disappears after 4-5 days with- 

 out suppurating ; but intraperitoneal injection is fatal to guinea-pigs 

 and white rats after 6-10 days. 



Pseudo-tuberculosis in Sheep. f — J. A. Gilruth describes the mor- 

 phology and pathology of this disease that attacks a large percentage of 

 all sheep brought to the export slaughter houses of New Zealand. It 

 affects chiefly the pleura and lungs, but also the lymphatic glands. The 

 author has isolated from a precrural lymphatic abcess a specific organism. 

 This is a short irregular sized bacillus • 5-1/a long by • 3/a in breadth ; 

 it stains well by Gram's method. Growth occurs most readily on 

 solidified, clear ox-blood serum, small grey punctate colonies appearing 

 after 24 hours at 37° C. ; these increase in size to 3 mm. by the third 

 day, having a raised darker centre and an irregular periphery of yellow 

 tint, and a yellow feathery zone radiating from the edge of the colony 

 into the substance of the serum, this aureole increasing until the whole 

 of the medium is occupied by growth. In sheep serum the growth is 

 greyish white and the feathery zone is absent or not observable ; broth 

 cultures show a thin pellicle and a powdery deposit on the sides and 

 bottom of the tube ; growth on agar was obtained by subculturing from 

 serum, and consisted of a powdery looking streak with irregular borders ; 

 in all cultures the growth was very tenacious. Microscopically the 

 bacilli appear in masses or chains ; on agar and glycerin-agar the bacilli 

 are very short and resemble streptococci. Growth occurs on gelatin 

 after 5-8 days, but it is not characteristic ; no growth was obtained on 

 potato ; there is a good growth in milk at 37° C., with the formation of 

 a thick brown deposit, the milk remaining unaltered. Experimentally 

 the disease was conveyed to sheep, guinea-pigs, and rabbits. The patho- 

 genic action of the bacillus resembles that of the tubercle bacillus in the 

 general appearance of the nodule, in the progression of the disease from 

 gland to gland with ultimate affection of the lung. 



Referring to observations made in other countries, the author men- 



* C.R Soc. Biol, de Paris, Ixii. (1907) pp. 677-9. 

 t Div. Vet. Sci. N.Z. Dept. Agric, Bull. 1, 1903. 



