FERMENT ATlON BACTERIOLOGY. 231 



Mucin as a bacterial product, L. F. Rettger (Studies Rockefeller Inst. Med. 

 Research,l {1904), Art. 16; reprinted from Jour. Med. Research, 10 {190.1), No. 1, 

 pp. 101-108).— The possibility of the occurrence of mucin as a bacterial product was 

 suggested to the author and a scries of investigations reported in which Bacterium 

 subviscosum was grown in various media. After growing for some time the substance 

 formed was separated by precipitation and filtration and subjected to analysis. 



The organism grew rapidly in 1 to 2 per cent peptone solutions, although the 

 amount of mucin formed was considerably less than when growth occurred in beef 

 bouillon or in milk. It was found that the production of mucin did not depend upon 

 the presence of carbohydrate material in the medium. The addition of varying 

 quantities of dextrose, levulose, lactose, etc., to the bouillon did not perceptibly 

 increase the amount of mucin formed. 



Further investigations showed that the production of mucin or a mucin-like sub- 

 stance is not limited to a single species of bacteria, but is a property possessed by 

 many, if not all, though in most cases the quantity of mucin formed was so small as 

 to be scarcely perceptible. There was found evidence that the process of mucin 

 production by bacteria is not a direct one and there is presumably formed an inter- 

 mediate body called a pseudomucin. As development goes on this peculiar substance 

 becomes transformed into the more soluble form of mucin. All attempts to isolate 

 this intermediate body by cultural methods have thus far been unsuccessful. 



The agglutination affinities of related bacteria parasitic in different hosts, 

 T. Smith and A. L. Reagh (Studies Rockefeller Inst. Med. Research, 1 (1904), Art. 12; 

 reprinted from Jour. Med. Research, 9 I 1903), No. 3, pp. 270-300, dgms. 3).— The fact 

 that there are races of bacteria indistinguishable among themselves except in incon- 

 stant cultural details has led to a number of studies to determine their affinities. In 

 the present paper the authors give a history of the cultural tests made with bog- 

 cholera organisms, several varieties of Bacillus coli communis, typhoid bacillus, B. 

 icteroides, etc., in which they conclude that there exists agglutination relationships 

 between the pathogenic groups of bacteria, which ferment dextrose, as given in their 

 experiments. 



The agglutinative characters are probably modified when the bacillus becomes 

 parasitic on different hosts. Close agglutinative affinities may be predicted from 

 close biological and pathogenic relationships. Minor cultural differences do not 

 exclude agglutinative affinities. 



It appears that closely related bacteria vegetating on mucus membranes may vary 

 considerably in their agglutinative relationships, differing in this regard from species 

 whose varieties or races are more homogeneous. The specific agglutinative proper- 

 ties of the different races of bacteria studied are described. A bibliography of about 

 2o publications relating to the subject completes the paper. 



The nonidentity of agglutinins acting upon the flagella and upon the 

 body of bacteria, T. Smith and A. L. Reagii (Studies Rockefeller Inst. Med. Research, 

 1 (1904), Art. 18; reprinted from Jour. Med. Research, 10 (1903), No. 1, pp. 89-100).— 

 A study of the agglutinins of the hog-cholera bacillus and other organisms has led to 

 the conclusion that the nonmotile race and the motile races manifest a close affinity 

 toward each other in the presence of immune agglutinins. 



This affinity makes it possible to differentiate the agglutinins of motile bacilli into 

 flagellar and body agglutinins. The assumption of 2 agglutinins, it is said, will 

 probably serve to clear up various discrepancies in agglutination tests. 



The bacilli of the root tubercles of red clover, L. Petri (Nuovo Gior. Bot. ItaL, 

 n. ser., 10 (1903), p. %12; abs. in Centbl. Bakt. u. Par., 2. AM., 11 (1903), No. 10-11, 

 pp. 347, 348). — It is said that from young root tubercles of red clover at the time of 

 the most active growth of the host plant, the author isolated an organism which he 

 has cultivated upon various media and reported the cultural characteristics. The 



