330 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Bacteriology of Ulcerative Stomatitis* — K, Goadby gives an 

 interesting account of the bacteriology of ulcerative stomatitis, which 

 is appearing sporadically among the troops in France as well as in some 

 of the English camps. A smear preparation from the gums, cheeks or 

 throat (stained by Giemsa's method) shows innumerable bacteria of 

 two forms of Bacillus fusiformis. Both are Gram-negative. The fusi- 

 form bacilli are diplobacilli, 6-7 /w in length, with pointed extremities ; 

 the thickened ends are in opposition with a small clear area between. 

 The organisms are longer and larger than the diphtheria bacillus and 

 are slightly curved ; plasmolysis is common. The second or spirillum 

 form closely resembles the spirillum of relapsing fever ; it is wavy in 

 outline, irregular in form, and without the characteristic " screw " form 

 seen in Spirochseta pallida. Many of the organisms show spiral form ; 

 the turns of the thread are but four to six in number, the ends may be 

 pointed, but the organism is usually about the same diameter throughout. 

 These spirochaetal forms are variously stated to be : — (1) Spirochsetes, 

 and an entirely different species from the Bacillus fusiformis (Muhlens 

 and Hartmann, Ellermann, Lenkowicz) ; (2) a pleormorphic form of the 

 B. fusiformis (Vincent, TunnicUffe). The organism is an obligatory 

 anaerobe, and is also serophile. Generally a small number of 

 pneumococci are found mixed with the other organisms ; they are 

 only found with difficulty, and are relatively few in number ; they are 

 of importance in producing secondary infection. In chronic cases with 

 such secondary infection, vaccine treatment is especially indicated. The 

 author has also employed vaccines with success in the acute stages, 

 employing the B. fusiformis. It is not usually possible to treat with an 

 autogenous antigen of this organism owing to its slow growth, even 

 under strictly anaerobic conditions. 



Bacterial Infection of Eggs.f — P. B. Hadley and Miss D. W. 

 Caldwell have conducted an investigation in order to ascertain the 

 extent of bacterial infection of fresh eggs, with special reference to the 

 question of (1) embryo-mortality in incubating eggs, and (2) mortality 

 among brooder chicks arising from hens harbouring active or latent 

 natural infections. The eggs were immersed from five to ten minutes 

 in mercuric chloride, 1 in 1000. They were then punctured at one end, 

 the whites poured off and the yolks emptied in specially constructed 

 culture tubes containing broth, similar to those used by Rettger in his 

 experiments. Cultivation was made for four days at room temperature ; 

 2520 fresh eggs were examined, 8' 7 pc. of which showed bacterial 

 infection in the yolk. In 111 cases the whites were also examined, 

 but in every case they proved to be sterile. The percentage of 

 infection obtained for individual hens per year varied from 2'8 to 15*0, 

 the average being D'O. In no case did any individual hen lay sterile 

 eggs during any full year, and no colleration was observed between 

 percentage of infection and hatchability, nor between percentage of 

 infection and fecundity age of the hens, or the season of the year. 



* Lancet, i. (1916) pp. 959-61. 



t Agric. Exper. Stat. Rhode Island State College, Bull. No. 164 (1916) 70 pp. 



