19161 VETERINARY MEDICINE. 783 



" Natural herpetomonlasis of a pigeon has been recorded by B. and fitienne 

 Sergont in Algeria. This affords a parallel case with the natural and induced 

 herpetomonlasis in mice previously recorded by us. 



" The flagellate stage of Leishmania donovani in vertebrates is now known, 

 and that of L. tropica in man has been ]<nown for some time. The links com- 

 pleting the evidence that a Leishmania is morphologically a Hcrpetomonas are 

 thus complete. Leishmaniases are really herpetomoniases (or leptomoniases) 

 arising from herpetomonads of certain invertebrates. Members of all classes 

 of vertebrates may be capable of acting as reservoirs of herpetomonlasis, and 

 the virus may exist in a very attenuated condition and so be difllcult of de- 

 tection." 



The cause of rat-bite fever, K. FtTTAKT, F. Takaki, T. Taniguchi, and S. 

 OsuMi (Jmir. E.rpt. Med., 2S (1916), No. 2, pp. 2^9, 250, pi. i).— A report of a 

 systematic study made of two cases of rat-bite fever which recently came under 

 observation. An India ink preparation of the exudate of a swollen lymph gland 

 of one of the patients, made according to the method of Burri, and a section of 

 the excised lymph gland impregnated with silver according to Levaditi's 

 method, both showed the presence of a spirochete somewhat larger than 

 Spirochceta pallida but smaller than S. duttoni and S. obermeieri. Both patients 

 recovered, one after treatment with mercury and the other with salvarsan. 



Isolation and cultivation of Bacterium tuberculosis on a synthetic cultiire 

 medium, C. A. Magoon {Washington Sta. Bui. 1S2 (.1916), pp. 3-9).— The author 

 reports some results obtained in a study of the metal)olism of Bacillus tuber- 

 culosis by cultivating the organism on a culture medium of the following defi- 

 nite chemical composition: Ammonium phosphate (dibasic), 1.7.5 gm. ; potas- 

 sium phcsphate (dibasic), 0.2.5 gm. ; sodium phosphate (dibasic), 0.5 gm. ; 

 magnesium sulphate, 0.5 gm. ; glycerin, 20 cc. ; and distilled water, 1,000 cc. 

 Special precautions necessary in the preparation of the medium are outlined 

 in detail. 



In preliminary tests to determine the suitability of the solution as a culture 

 meflium, B. subtilis, B. mycoides, B. prodigiosus, B. coli, B. cholera suis, B. 

 pyocyaneus, and Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus all showed prompt and 

 abundant growth. Inoculation of the medium with B. tuberculosis was followed 

 by a vigorous growth which appeared in two days. Marked differences in the 

 cultural characteristics of the bovine and human strains of the tuberculosis 

 bacillus were noted as growth progressed. 



In isolation experiments made from lesions of guinea pigs previously inocu- 

 latetl from a pathological laboratory culture of the bovine type positive results 

 were obtained in 80 per cent of the trials made, the growth appearing in seven 

 days from the time of inoculation. Pure cultures were also obtained in isola- 

 tion experiments from the liver of a turkey spontaneously infected. Human 

 strains of the micro-organism have been cultivated from lesions of guinea pigs 

 inoculated with sputum with favorable results. While positive isolations have 

 not been constant the work has been carefully checked. 



" The practical value of this synthetic medium as a means of isolating the 

 organism from tuberculous lesions is yet to be determined. As has been empha- 

 sized by other investigators the value of synthetic media in the study of the 

 metabolism of the organism, and especially in the preparation of tuberculins 

 free from heterogeneous albuminoids, is very great. Preliminary examinations 

 of our rapidly growing cultures has shown them to possess marked antigenic 

 properties, and their use in serological work shows much promise." 



It is stated that investigations as to the value of these cultures in serum diag- 

 nosis are being pursued. 



