VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 711 



The comparative agglutination of homogeneous cultures of human and 

 bovine tubercle bacilli by the sera obtained after inoculation with these cul- 

 tures, S. Aeloing and P. Coxtbmont ( Cornpt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 56 {1904), No. 

 10, i>}>. 454-, 455). — The authors inoculated a number of dogs with homogeneous tuber- 

 ' cle cultures in glycerin bouillon and the serum obtained from inoculated dogs was 

 used for the purpose of determining its effects upon cultures of the bacilli. 



All cultures were agglutinated in varying degrees, even those which did not them- 

 selves produce an agglutinating serum in inoculated animals. Two of the cultures of 

 human tubercle bacilli were not agglutinated. Someof the human and bovine tubercle 

 cultures were reciprocally agglutinable and produced reciprocal agglutinating sub- 

 stances in the serum. There appeared to be greater differences between the tubercle 

 bacilli of human and bovine origin than between different cultures of human origin. 



A chemical examination of various tubercle bacilli, E. A. de Schweinitz and 

 M. Dorset ( U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Animal Industry Rpt. 1903, pp. 99-105; Circ. 

 52, pp. 99-105) . — A chemical study was made of an attenuated bacillus of human origin, 

 a virulent bacillus of man, a virulent bovine bacillus, a swine bacillus, a bacillus 

 obtained from horses, and an avian bacillus. 



These bacilli of different origin were cultivated on a uniform medium and when 

 analyzed had been growing from 2 to 4 months at a temperature of from 37 to 38° C. 

 They were dried at a temperature of 60° C, after which dried bacilli were extracted 

 with hot ether, hot alcohol, and hot chloroform. The analytical data thus obtained 

 were presented in a tabular form. The highest percentage of ether extract was 

 obtained from attenuated human tubercle bacilli, followed by horse bacilli, human 

 virulent bacilli, bovine bacilli, avian bacilli, and swine bacilli. 



Ash determinations were also made in the various tubercle bacilli in addition to a 

 determination of the phosphoric acid in the ash. The content of phosphoric pen- 

 toxid in the human tubercle bacilli was found to be 60 per cent in the virulent cul- 

 tures and 70 per cent in the attenuated ones. The results thus obtained indicate that 

 there may be a wide variation in the chemical composition of the tubercle bacilli. 

 There may, however, be as great a difference in attenuated and virulent human bacilli 

 as in bacilli of human and bovine origin. 



The desirability of phosphates as an addition to culture media for tubercle 

 bacilli, M. Dorset (U. S. Dept. Ayr., Bureau of Animal Industry Rpt. 1903, pp. 106- 

 108, pis. 2; Circ. 61, pp. 106-108, pis. 2). — Tubercle bacilli grown on a peptonized 

 bouillon containing 1 per cent sodium chlorid were analyzed and an ash determina- 

 tion was made. The presence of phosphoric acid was noted and this suggested the 

 desirability of adding phosphates to culture media for tubercle bacilli. Several forms 

 of phosphates were used, including basic sodium phosphate, sodium ammonium 

 phosphate, and acid potassium phosphate. 



The results obtained from these experiments indicate that the addition of phos- 

 phate was desirable in the culture media for these organisms. The addition of sodium 

 chlorid to bouillon has, therefore, been abandoned by the author and 0.5 percent of 

 acid potassium phosphate is added to the culture media. No change in virulence in 

 cultures has been observed after growth on this medium, and tuberculin prepar. . 

 from such cultures is perfectly satisfactory. 



Certain variations in the morphology of tubercle bacilli of bovine origin, 

 ('. N. McBryde ( U. 8. Dept. Ayr., Bureau of Animal Industry Rpt. 1903, pp. 109-113, 

 pis. 2; Circ. 60, )>p. 109-118, pis. 2). — In examining cultures of tubercle bacilli grown 

 on an egg medium an especially luxuriant growth was noticed near the edge of par- 

 affin which had melted and run down on the medium. Narrow streaks of paraffin 

 were purposely run on such culture medium and the phenomenon just noted was 

 observed in these cases. 



An examination of bacilli grown in contact with paraffin failed to show that the 

 paraffin tends to give a fixed characteristic to the bovine tubercle bacillus. In tubercle 



