370 GENERAL SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY 



With the exception of Trevisan, it does not appear that as a generic 

 name Metallocter has been used since Perty 's description. It is generally- 

 regarded as invalid. If it were possible to fix exactly the species 

 Metallader hacillus it probably would be necessary to recognize the 

 genus. Unless it can be shown that it is the same as Cohn's Bacillus 

 suhtilis it will scarcely replace Bacillus. Trevisan's use of Bacillus 

 suhtilis as a synonym is scarcely adequate. 



Metchnikovillus. A name proposed by Heller (1922, p. 29) for a 

 genus of the tribe Putrificoideae. The description is: 



Highly protelytic Putrificoideae that readily blacken meat. They do not pro- 

 duce in it abundant amino-acid crystals, but digest meat, serum, egg and casein 

 rapidly, forming more alkali or less fatty acid than do the organisms of the suc- 

 ceeding group. They split few sugars. Gram-positive or weakly Gram-positive 

 rods, vegetative forms uniform and considerably smaller than sporangia. Sporu- 

 late readily in ordinary media, forming oval spores which are usually sub- 

 terminal, though in some strains median spores predominate. Multiplication is 

 exceedingly active, forty-eight hour colonies in deep agar are large and woolly. 

 Frequently a few colonies are larger than the others but thej' do not give rise in a 

 following generation to a preponderating number of large colonies. Ubiquitous. 

 Common intestinal organisms, abundant in soil ; very common in infected wounds. 

 Not capable of invading in pure culture in moderate doses, may invade in com- 

 pany with other organisms or alone when given in large doses. 



Type species M. sporogenes (Bacillus sporogenes type A. of Metchnikoff) as 

 described by the Committee (p. 36). Klein described as B. enteritides-sporogenes 

 a mixed culture which contained a non-proteolytic organism, a pure culture of 

 which was described by von Hibler as B. enteritidis-sporogenes Klein (von Hibler 

 IV). This tissue invading pathogen, thought by some to have been B. welchii, 

 is most referable to the genus Arloingillus . The strain was derived from pa- 

 tients with enteritis and it was apparently contaminated v/ith a proteolytic organ- 

 ism of the genus Metchnikovillus. Metchnikoff described two types, A and B, of 

 intestinal anaerobes which he thought were similar to the organism of Klein, and 

 which he termed B. sporognes. His descriptions permit of no identifications. 

 Choukevitch, working in Metchnikoff's laboratory described B. -sporogenes A 

 and B more carefully. Type B should be referred to genus Martellillus. Wein- 

 berg made the identification of type A more exact, and the Committee discuss it 

 at some length. They allow two species, B. sporogenes type A of Metchnikoff, 

 and B. parasporogenes Mcintosh, which are different in colony formation and 

 serologically. Donaldson describes the "reading" bacillus, to be assigned to 

 this genus. Superficial acquaintance with many strains of preteolytic anaerobes 

 leads me to suggest that Metchnikovillus may be defined as a genus of many 

 species; Dr. K. F. Meyer is also of this opinion. Henry (p. 361) believes it likely 

 that the conception "sporogenes" refers to a group of organisms. 



Methanomonas. A generic name proposed by Orla- Jensen (1909, 

 p. 311). This is the first genus of the family Oxydobacteriaceae of the 



