110 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



of a number of 48-hour agar cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. This is 

 well shaken and the flask is then placed over night in an oven at 58-60° C, 

 in order to kill the growth. 3 or 4 c.cm. of freshly drawn blood, collected 

 under aseptic conditions, are now added and the fluid is shaken until it 

 becomes clotted. It is then placed in an oven at 56-58° C. This solu- 

 tion may be added to melted agar cooled to 45-50° C. in a proportion of 

 1 to 10. After these are well mixed, the medium is poured into plates. 

 The medium is reddish, transparent and well adapted for the growth of 

 Bacillus influenzse in pure culture. The stock solution will keep in an 

 ice-chest for several months. 



Investigation of Leprosy Cultures.* — In this preliminary com- 

 munication, H. Bayon refers to the ubiquity in nature of acid-fast 

 organisms and the necessity for precise identification of cultures origin- 

 ating from leprous lesions. With this aim, he has carried out inocula- 

 tions and extensive serological tests, and has shown that these methods 

 are of use in demonstrating the specificity of these organisms. A 

 non acid-fast diphtheroid organism, isolated from human leprosy, may 

 acquire acid-fast properties when injected into mice and rats. In con- 

 clusion the author refers to rat leprosy, a disease which is endemic in this 

 country. This disease is apparently identical with human leprosy, and 

 it is suggested that the disease may, in rare cases, be communicated to 

 man from the rat. 



Selective Medium for Culture of Cholera Vibrios.j— P. Pilon 

 describes a modification of Dieudonne's blood-alkali-agar medium in 

 which potash is replaced by sodium carbonate. This is prepared in the 

 following way. Equal parts of defibrinated blood and of a solution 

 containing 12 p.c. crystallized sodium carbonate are mixed. To three 

 parts of this mixture, which is not sterilized, are added seven parts of 

 melted nutrient agar. This is carefully mixed and then poured into 

 Petri dishes, which must be left open until the medium becomes solid. 

 After half an hour the plates are ready for use. Dieudonne's medium 

 cannot be used until 24 hours after their preparation. The present 

 medium was sown with a number of organisms, and it was found that 

 organisms other than vibrios were inhibited at least as strongly as they 

 were upon Dieudonne plates. Vibrios, other than that of cholera, were 

 inhibited more strongly upon the soda medium, and cholera vibrios grew 

 well upon this medium and even upon one containing a 13 p.c. soda 

 solution. The more strongly alkaline medium did not permit the 

 growth of Bacillus jiyocyaneus, which is capable of growth upon the 

 ordinary Dieudonne medium. 



Cultivation of Leishmania infantum and L. tropica. J — C. Mathis 

 has obtained very successful results in cultivating Leishmania infantum 

 in heated rabbit-blood and agar. The medium may be prepared non- 

 aseptically, for it is sufficient to sterilize it discontinuously at from 80" 

 to 100°. If there be no condensation water, water can be added after- 

 wards without impairing the cultural properties of the medium. 



* Brit. Med. Journ. (1911) ii. pp. 1269-72. 



t Centralbl. Bakt., Ite Abt. Orig., Ix. (1911) pr;, 330 3. 



\ C.K. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxi. (1911) pp. 538-9, 



