Dec. i, 1920 A Bacteriological Study of Canned Ripe Olives 377 



Types of organisms fou nd 



Colon group 81 



Colon group, sluggish liquefaction of gelatin {Bacillus cloacae) 4 



Bacterium fl uorescens (liquefying) 2 



Proteus 3 



Other Gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacilli, not identified 5 



Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming bacilli, gelatin liquefiers — 



Bacillus cereus type 3 



Bacillus mycoidcs type 4 



Bacillus mesentericus type 6 



Type not determined 19 



Slender, Gram-positive, aerobic or facultative anaerobic bacilli, oval terminal 



spores, gelatin not liquefied 10 



Gram-positive diplococci 31 



Gram-positive staphylococci 10 



Spore-forming, obligate anaerobes 6 



Yeasts 3 



Mold (.4 spergillus terreus) ' 1 



In addition to these, Bacillus bottdinus was found in 7 of the spoiled 

 glass jars. A report of the findings of this laboratory with respect to 

 Bacillus botulinus, both from the material obtained in the open market 

 and from specimens received from the poisoning cases, has been made 

 the subject of another paper. 2 



The large proportion of non-spore-forming organisms, particularly of 

 the colon group and the Coccaceae, was indeed surprising. Many of the 

 cultures of the colon group when first isolated exhibited a delayed 

 fermentation of lactose somewhat similar to that reported by Bronfen- 

 brenner and Davis, 3 though not so marked. In lactose broth, acid 

 formation was delayed from 48 to 72 hours, while gas was produced 

 only after 3 to 5 days' incubation. After several successive transplants 

 in lactose broth, fermentation of this sugar was markedly accelerated. 



Although some of the organisms obtained were placed without diffi- 

 culty in their proper groups, others were not identified by the limited 

 number of cultural tests employed, and these are designated in the fore- 

 going list by their chief cultural characteristics or morphology. Many 

 Gram-positive diplococci were encountered. These exhibited a distinct 

 lance-shaped appearance in liquid media, with occasional short chains of 

 three or four elements. On dextrose agar slants the individual colonies 

 appeared as minute white pin points. In beef infusion broth under oil 



1 For identification of this species the writer is indebted to Dr. Margaret B. Church, of the Microbio- 

 logical Laboratory. 



2 DeBord, G. G., Edmondson, R. B., and Thom, Charles, summary of bureau of chemistry 

 investigations of poisoning due To ripe olives. In Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, v. 74, no. 18, p. 1220- 

 1221, 1920 



3 Bronfenbrenner, J., and Davis, C R. on methods of isolation and identification of the mem- 

 bers OF THE COLON-TYPHOID GROUP OF BACTERIA. LATE FERMENTATION OF LACTOSE. In Jour. Med. 



Research, v. 39 (n. s. v. 34), nc. 1, p. 33~37- 1918. 



