366 



ORDER IV. EUBACTERIALES 



phus serum is of very great importance. 

 These are the so-called X-strains from ty- 

 phus patients found by Weil and Felix. They 

 first cultivated strains X and X2 from the 

 urine of typhus patients and later the fa- 

 mous Xi9 . The two former were aggluti- 

 nated weakly, the latter strongly (up to 

 1 :50,000). The diagnosis of typhus by agglu- 

 tination with strain X19 proved to be ex- 

 cellent and the reaction took place in the 

 serum of almost 100 per cent of those suffer- 

 ing from the disease. . . . The typhus strains 

 of proteus have recently been divided into 

 the two types of Felix and Weil, the H forms 

 and the O forms. The former grows as a 

 thin opaque film, the latter lacks this char- 

 acter and grows as non-spreading slimy 

 colonies; frequently without distinct fia- 

 ella. . . " (For further description of H and 

 O forms, see Moltke, op. cit., 1927, 156.) 



The X2 and X19 strains mostly ferment 

 maltose . A 



Relationship to "ther species : Hauser 

 described Proteus vulgaris as a rapid gela- 

 tin-liquefier and Proteus mirabilis as a slow 

 liquefier. Wenner and Rettger (Jour. Bact., 

 4, 1919, 332) found the property of gelatin 

 liquefaction too variable to serve as a basis 

 for separation of species. They suggested 

 that this differentiating character be set 

 aside and that the two species be differenti- 

 ated on the basis of maltose fermentation, 

 the species fermenting the sugar receiving 

 the name Proteus vulgaris, and the species 

 failing to attack it, Proteus mirabilis. This 

 suggestion was accepted by Bergey et al., 

 (Manual, 1st ed., 1923) and by Weldin (Iowa 

 Jour. Sci., 1, 1927, 147) ; their work was con- 

 firmed by Rustigian and Stuart (Jour. 

 Bact., 45, 1943, 198) and by Thornton (Jour. 

 Bact., 48, 1944, 123). Also see Moltke (op. 

 cit., 1927, 156). 



Source: Isolated from putrid meat, in- 

 fusions and abscesses. 



Habitat: Found on putrefying materials. 



2. Proteus mirabilis Hauser, 1885. 

 (Hauser, Sitzungsber. d. phys.-med. So- 

 zietat zu Erlangen, 1885, 156; Bacterium 

 mirabilis (sic) Chester, Ann. Rept. Del. 

 Col. Agr. Exp. Sta., 9, 1897, 101.) 



mi.ra'bi.lis. L. adj. mira6z7is wonderful, 

 surprising. 



Short rods, 0.5 to 0.6 by 1.0 to 3.0 microns, 

 occurring singl}^, in pairs and frequently 

 in long chains. Motile by means of perit- 

 richous flagella. Gram-negative. 



Gelatin colonies: Irregular, swarming. 



Gelatin stab: Slow, stratiform liquefac- 

 tion. 



Agar colonies: Gray, irregular, swarming. 



Agar slant: Thin, bluish gray growth, 

 spreading over the surface. 



Broth: Turbid; thin, gray pellicle; sedi- 

 ment. 



Litmus milk: Slightly acid, becoming 

 alkaline; peptonized. 



Potato: Dirtj^ gray, spreading growth. 



Putrefactive odor produced. 



Indole not produced. 



Hydrogen sulfide is produced. 



Acid and gas from glucose, fructose, ga- 

 lactose, xylose and trehalose. Acid and 

 gas usually produced slowly from sucrose. 

 No acid or gas from lactose, maltose, dex- 

 trin or mannitol. 



Most of the XK strains do not attack 

 maltose. 



Sodium citrate is usually utilized as a 

 sole source of carbon. 



Acetylmethylcarbinol frequently pro- 

 duced weakly. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



Phenylpyruvic acid is produced from 

 phenjdalanine, and leucine is rendered al- 

 kaline. 



Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature, 37° C. 



Source: Isolated from putrid meat, in- 

 fusions and abscesses. Also reported as a 

 cause of gastroenteritis (Cherry and Barnes, 

 Amer. Jour. Pub. Health, 36, 1946, 484). 



Habitat: Found on putrefying materials. 



3. Proteus morganii (Winslow et al., 

 1919) Rauss, 1936. (Organism No. 1, Mor- 

 gan, Brit. Med. Jour., 1, 1906, 908; Bacillus 

 morgani Winslow, Kligler and Rothberg, 

 Jour. Bact., 4, 1919, 4&\; Salmonella morgani 

 Castellani and Chalmers, Man. Trop. Med., 

 3rd ed., 1919, 939; Bacterium morgani Hol- 

 land, Jour. Bact., 5, 1920, 215; Rauss, Jour. 

 Path, and Bact., 42, 1936, 183.) 



mor.ga'ni.i. M.L. gen. noun morganii of 

 Morgan; named for H. de R. Morgan, the 



