520 SUMiMARY OF CURKENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



their origin from cytoplasmic condensations at the poles and in other 

 parts of the bacillus, are cylindrical when fully grown. "The bacilli are 

 always single, 10-25 /x in length, 5/x in breadth. Motility has not been 

 observed. 



Bacterial Infections of Insects.* — F. Picard and G. R. Blanc 

 describe further experiments upon the virulence of a cocco-bacillus 

 obtained from Arctia caja. Inoculated into certain species of Coleoptera, 

 Hemiptera, Orthoptera, and Lepidoptera, this organism caused rapid 

 death. The authors discuss the general question of cocco-bacillary 

 infections among the Insecta, and range with the B. cajae certain other 

 forms, such as B. melolonthse, B. hombycis^ and B. lymantriee. These 

 forms possess little virulence when taken in by the mouth. The laSt- 

 named species, B. lymanirlae^ was the causal agent in the American 

 gipsy-moth epizootics. 



Bacillus viridis metritis. t — D. M. Bertrand and Bronislawa Feigin 

 have isolated from four cases of uterine infection a cocco-bacillus, to 

 which they give the name B. viridis metritis. The organism is Gram- 

 negative, is motile, and varies in size from 1-1 * 3 /x by • 4-0 ' 6 [x. 

 The colonies on agar are white, nearly transparent, and circular, while 

 the medimn assumes a pale green hue. The green colour also developed 

 in gelatin and on saccharated media. On glycerinated potato the 

 growth was copious and of a brownish hue. Broth-media are rendered 

 turbid. The bacterium reduces nitrates to nitrites and does not form 

 indol. The pigment is insoluble in ether, chloroform, and toluene, 

 and only slightly soluble in absolute alcohol. The colour is accentuated 

 by alkalis and disappears on addition of acids. Laboratory animals 

 appear to be only slightly affected, except in large doses. 



Bacillus anaerobicus satellitis.J— After commenting on the vari- 

 ability of the clinical symptoms in typhoid fever, J. Loris-Melikov 

 points out that the associated action of other bacteria may be answerable 

 for the deviations. In this direction he has made examination of the 

 anaerobic bacteria found in typhoid stools. One of these, B. anaerobicus 

 safeUitis, he describes at some length. The organism was best isolated 

 on a mixture of equal parts of broth and bile, and in the early stages 

 appears as a straighc rodlet of medium size and rounded ends. Later 

 involution forms occur. It is easily stained by ordinary dyes and also 

 by Gram's method. This last property it soon loses, and in old cultures 

 the majority are decolorized. 



It is non-motile, forms ovoid spores, is a strict anaerobe, its optimum 

 temperature is 37", it forms gas, and the cultures exhale a putrid odour. 

 It soon dissolves albuminoid substances, and forms much indol and 

 phenol. Its virulence is very variable, the chief phenomena being 



* Comptes Rendus, clvii., 79-81. 



t C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxv. (1913) pp. 61-3. 



X Ann. Inst. Pasteur, xxvii. (1913) pp. 541-53. 



