380 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 36 



A laboratory infection caused by a bovine strain of Bacillus enteritidis, 

 K. F. Meyer [Jour. Infect. Diseases, 19 (1916), No. 5, pp. 700-707).— Clinical, 

 bacteriological, and serological findings of a case of accidental infection by- 

 handling a bottle of sterilized milk which had been artificially contaminated 

 with a culture of B. enteritidis is reported. It is indicated that " a recently 

 isolated strain of B. enteritidis pathogenic for animals may differ from a 

 strain pathogenic for man in its inability to be coagglutinated by paratyphoid 

 or suipestifer sera." 



The antibodies of spores, G. Chimera {Clin. Vet. [Milan], Ross. Pol. Sanit. 

 e Ig., 39 {1916), No. 16, pp. 479-^87). — From the studies reported it is concluded 

 that there is no evidence that specific agglutinins are liberated by the organism 

 after inoculation of spores {Bacillus anthracis, B. siibtilis), at least not within 

 ten days after the inoculation. The agglutinins produced by the presence of 

 bacilli have no action on the spores of the respective organisms. 



The serological data are submitted in tabular form. 



The precipitin reaction with silkworm caterpillar immune serum, K. Aoki 

 {Bui. Imp. Sericiilt. Expt. Sta. Japan, 1 {1916), No. 1, pp. 53-81).— The results 

 of the investigation reported show that silkworm caterpillars can be easily 

 differentiated from closely related insects by the precipitin reaction. The 

 reaction can further be used to classify various closely and distantly related 

 animal species so that they can be definitely placed in their proper zoological 

 position. 



The precipitin titer of the immune serum was found not to be equally high 

 in all the sera of animals of the same species, especially if the serum came 

 from an animal that was in the second, third, or fourth stage of development. 

 In this case a lower precipitin value was given than would have been yielded 

 by adult specimens or the pressed juice of the eggs. The silk glands of 

 Bomhyx mori show a strong organ specificity. No difference in the precipitant 

 power of the sera of the two sexes of the silkworm caterpillars was observed. 

 The data are presented in tabular form and discussed in some detail. 



The application of the agglutinin reaction in the bacteriological examina- 

 tion of silkworms. — On the question of the identity of Bacillus sotto (Ishi- 

 wata), B. alvei (Chesire and Cheyne), and B. megaterium, K. Aoki and Y. 

 Chigasaki {Bnl. Imp. Sericult. Expt. Sta. Japan, 1 {1916), No. 1, pp. 83-95).— 

 Tabular serological data are reported which indicate that the agglutination 

 reaction is strongly specific in the case of B. sotto. This organism can be 

 easily differentiated from B. megaterium and B. alvei by this reaction, so that 

 the question of its identity with the latter organisms can be discarded. 



The biologic reactions of the vegetable proteins. — VIII, The specificity of 

 the Abderhalden reaction with vegetable proteins, O. J. Elsesseb {Jour. 

 Infect. Diseases, 19 {1916), No. 5, pp. 655-681). — The work reported demon- 

 strates that "the specificity of the Abderhalden reaction (dialysis method) in 

 experimental animals (rabbits) immunized with pure isolated vegetable pro- 

 teins is far from being absolute. . . . Under the conditions of the experiments 

 the Abderhalden reaction is at best only quantitatively specific and even this 

 quantitative specificity is not always exhibited. This is demonstrated by the 

 following observations: (1) An homologous substrate may react specifically 

 with its immune serum, no other protein reacting; (2) it may vary quanti- 

 tatively in the degree of interreaction with its own immune serum; (3) it may 

 react with its immune serum but no more strongly than do the heterologous 

 substrates tried against the same immune serum; (4) it may give no reaction 

 against its immune serum, while other heterologous proteins may react 

 strongly against this serum; (5) it may react at times more strongly with a 



