ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 197 



till' (;lia<riiosis presented few difficulties, but it was found necessary 

 to bear in mind the fact that other organisms such as B. jjseudotuher- 

 calosis rodentium, and members of the haemorrliagic septicaemia group, 

 might givL* rise to similar lesions. In putrid specimens diagnosis was 

 more difficult, owing to the presence of extraneous organisms such as 

 B. prof&m, and to the loss of virulence shown by the plague bacillus 

 under such conditions. This last circumstance lessened to some extent 

 the value of animal inoculation tests, where the cutaneous method of 

 infection was employed. 



Cholera-like Vibrios.* — Since the introduction of improved cultm-al 

 methods, such as the employment of Dieudonne's blood-alkali-agar 

 medium for the isolation of the organism of cholera, a large number of 

 vibrios have been obtained, which resemble this organism in morphology 

 and cultural characters very closely. They occur frequently in the 

 intestinal contents in cases of enteritis and allied conditions, possibly 

 bearing a causal relation to the disease, possibly finding more favourable 

 conditions of life in the presence of disease products. Baerthlein has 

 investigated a number of these strains and finds that morphological, 

 cultural, hgemolytic, and complement binding tests do not serve to 

 distinguish them from the true cholera vibrio. Agglutination tests,. 

 however, give a more precise means of identification. All these vibrios 

 possess a certain degree of pathogenicity for guinea-pigs. 



Bacillus Le Monnieri sp. n.f — P. Lasseur isolated from well-water 

 a fluorescent bacillus, one of the most characteristic features of which is 

 the production of a blue colouring matter. This substance not only 

 colours the bacteria, but is also precipitated in the medium in the form 

 of needles, prisms, or irregular polyhedra. In addition to the blue dye, 

 the bacillus also forms soluble red, yellow, or violet pigments. Bacillus 

 Le Monnieri is a rodlet with rounded ends ; the elements are either 

 single or in pairs ; it is motile and has a polar flagellum. It does not 

 stain by the methods of Gram or of Claudius. Its optimum temperature 

 is between 20' and 25° C. It is aerobic ; liquefies gelatin ; peptonizes 

 milk without previous coagulation ; reduces nitrates to nitrites ; but does 

 not form indol. 



The most characteristic cultures were obtained in a medium with the 

 following composition :— Water, 100; asparagin, 0*9; succinate of 

 ammonium, 0*1 ; glycerin, 2 ; glucose, 1 ; dipotassic phosphate, 0'25 ; 

 sulphate of magnesium, 0*5 ; calcium chloride, O'Ol ; iron sulphate, 

 0"0i. In this medium it grows rapidly, with development of a blue 

 scum. The pigment is practically insoluble in water and the usual 

 solvents. It is easily soluble in pyridin and acetic acid ; from the latter 

 solution it may be reprecipitated by neutralizing the acid with ammonia. 



New Red Bacillus. | — A. Sartory isolated from soil a red l^acillus. 

 which he states has, bar the colour, great resemblances to the pneumo- 

 bacillus of Friedlaender. The pigment is insoluble in water, amylic 

 and methyUc alcohol. It is soluble in carbon sulphide, benzine, chloro- 

 form, ethylic alcohol, acetone, and xylol. No name is given to the 

 organism. 



* Centralbl. Bakt. , te Abt. Orig., Ixvii. (1912) pp. 321-35. 



t C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxiv. (1913) pp. 47-8. 



X C.R Soc. Biol.Paris, Ixxiv. (1913) pp. 51-2. 



