558 THE BACTERIOPHAGE AND ITS BEHAVIOR 



phage possessing a virulence for all strains of B. coli, the treatment can 

 be appHed as a routine measure, without the necessity of first determin- 

 ing whether the bacillus in each patient is susceptible to some race of 

 the bacteriophage which is available. This lack of a polyvirulent race 

 is a compHcation which considerably Hmits the general appHcation of 

 the treatment to infectious processes whose etiological agent is the colon 

 bacillus. 



5. BACTERIOPHAGE THERAPY OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS INFECTIONS 



Bruynoghe and Maisin^^i ^^ere the first to use the Staphylo-bacterio- 

 phage therapeutically. They applied it in the treatment of 6 patients 

 with anthrax or furunculosis, injecting as closely as possible to the 

 lesions a single dose, varying from 0.5 to 2 cc. Their bacteriophage had 

 been heated at 56°C. They observed a rapid diminution in the indura- 

 tion and often its complete disappearance within 24 to 48 hours. In- 

 fections which had already suppurated opened and dried up quickly. 

 They noted that in some individuals there occurred a rise in temperature 

 following the inoculation, while in others the temperature was not 

 changed. They gained the impression that a febrile reaction occurred 

 especially in those patients having extensive lesions where the rapid dis- 

 solution of the cocci involved the resorption of large quantities of the 

 bacterial products. As for the local reaction, they noted that the point 

 of injection was painful and slightly edematous for a period of 24 hours. 



These authors were the first to pubHsh their results on the treatment 

 of staphylococcus infections, but certainly Gratia,-^^ making his experi- 

 ments at the same time, should receive the credit for haAdng clearly 

 shown the advantages of the bacteriophage in the treatment of these 

 infections. 



We know that the staphylococcus is a heterogeneous species as re- 

 gards bacteriophagy, but Gratia isolated a race of the bacteriophage 

 which is polyvirulent. By repeated determinations he demonstrated 

 that all strains of the staphylococcus, — albus, aureus, and citreus,- — ■ 

 which he tested were susceptible to this race. I have also found that 

 none of the strains, about 100 in number, which I have isolated from a 

 series of patients are resistant to this race. Micrococcus tetragenus is 

 also susceptible to it. Without this discovery of Gratia we would have 

 been obHged, as in the case of B. coli infections, to determine for each 

 patient the virulence of the race for the causative staphylococcus, and 

 in case of a resistance, to effect passages to bring about an adaptation, 

 a tiresome procedure and one which would materially restrict the ap- 

 pHcation of the treatment. Having a polyvirulent race, it is possible to 



