BACTERIAL AUTOLYSIS 565 



accompanying charts should leave little doubt that the process 

 observed in these organisms is, to a certain extent at least, a 

 true autolysis with an actual breaking down of the very complex 

 nitrogenous substances to the amino acid stage. 



Chart 7 gives the results of 12 different experiments conducted 

 on 6 different strains of the gonococcus (2 experiments with 

 each). Testicular extract agar and ascitic fluid agar were used, 

 both with and without glucose, for growing the organisms. 

 Suspensions were made in distilled water and in physiological 

 saline solution. The curves for the biuret and Sorensen values 

 resemble each other so closely that they need not be considered 

 individually. It should be noted that the changes which occur 

 develop quite rapidly. These changes in biuret and amino 

 nitrogen were in a large measure correlated with morphological 

 changes which could be readilj^ observed in stained preparations 

 of the bacterial suspensions. 



The meningococcus 



The meningococcus presents a picture not unlike that of the 

 gonococcus, though there seems here to be considerably more 

 variation in the results obtained with the different strains (see 

 charts 8 and 9). It is of particular interest to compare the ex- 

 periments in which the same strains were used, and note the 

 near proximation of the results. Thus, 1 and 14 were the same 

 except that 14 was kept in the refrigerator. The same strain 

 was also used in experiments 2 and 3, Experiments 7, 8 and 

 12 were conducted with the same organism, and the curves both 

 for the biuret and Sorensen values tend to be parallel. The biuret 

 curve of 12, if shown, would coincide with that of 1. Numbers 10 

 and 1 1 are from the same strain. The biuret curve for 10, if given, 

 would almost coincide mth number 2. The organisms used 

 in experiments 5 and 6 were obtained from the Rockefeller In- 

 stitute for Medical Research, one being labeled "para-," and 

 the other "meningococcus." The curves parallel each other 

 almost perfectly. 



