394 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xxii. No. s 



property. In another series of experiments in which some of the worms 

 were found to be dead it was observed that the salt solution in which 

 they had been kept was destructive to red blood corpuscles. That the 

 hemolytic effects of salt solution in which dead ascarids had been kept was 

 independent of bacteria was shown by the fact that the salt solution 

 was free from putrefactive odors associated with decay, due to the pre- 

 cautions which were taken to free the parasites from bacteria by immers- 

 ing them in 2 per cent formalin and washing them first in water and then 

 in salt solution before subjecting them to these experiments. In one 

 experiment which was conducted under strictly aseptic precautions the 

 worms were thoroughly washed in running water, in formalin, and in 

 sterile salt solution in the order indicated and then placed in sterile flasks 

 containing an 0.85 per cent solution of sodium chlorid. These flasks 

 were placed in an incubator at 37° C. for several days. The worms died, 

 but the fluid showed no cloudiness. Transfers of portions of this fluid 

 to culture media (nutrient broth and agar) failed to produce bacterial 

 growth despite the fact that the tubes containing the media were kept 

 in the incubator for a week. The sterile salt solution in which the 

 ascarids died was hemolytic to washed sheep corpuscles. 



These facts appear to indicate that Ascaris hemolysin is closely bound 

 to the cells of the parasites and becomes dissociated from them rather 

 easily after death of the worms, a view which is in harmony with the 

 observation of Tallqvist (1907) with reference to the hemolysin from 

 Diphyllohothrium latum,. The fact that the body fluid of worms which 

 have been kept in vitro for a number of days becomes hemolytic is entirely 

 in harmony with that view, since, under conditions of starvation, autolysis 

 of the tissues of the parasites undoubtedly takes place, especially after 

 the storage products, largely glycogen,^ are consumed. 



3. expe;rime;nts on the; possibi^e; presence of complement in the 



BODY FEUIDS of ASCARIS EUMBRICOIDES 



Experiments with body fluid from fresh specimens of Ascaris lumhri- 

 coides were performed with a view to determining whether it contains a 

 substance capable of activating a hemolytic system. As is well known, 

 washed red blood corpuscles to which a specific inactivated antiserum is 

 added will not hemolyze unless a certain quantity of normal fresh blood 

 serum is added. The substance in the normal blood serum which in 

 itself has no hemolytic power but which activates inactivated antiserum 

 is known as alexin or complement. Comparatively little is known of 

 this body except that it is a normal constituent of blood serum, that it 

 deteriorates rapidly in vitro, and that it is destroyed by heating at 56° C. 

 for 30 minutes. According to Noguchi (1907), soluble soaps to which 



' Schulte and Krummacher(79/5) have showrl that starving ascarids do not consume their fat content 

 and have confirmed Weinland's views with reference to the role of glycogen in the metabolism of the worms 

 in vitro. 



