FAMILY II. TREPONEMATACEAE 



913 



Key to the species of genus Leptospira. 



I. Parasitic. Pathogenic for man and/or other animals. Requires serum for growth. Di- 

 vided into numerous distinct serological types. 



1. Leptospira iderohaemorrhagiae and presum- 

 ably other species. 



II. Saprophytic. Grows in simple media. This species has not been further differentiated. 



2. Leptospira biflexa and presumably other 

 species. 



1. Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae 



(Inada and Ido, 1916) Noguchi, 1917. (Spiro- 

 chaefa icterohaemorrhagica japonica Inada 

 and Ido, Tokyo Ijishinshi, 1915, No. 1908; 

 Spirochaeta ictero-haemorrhagiae japonica 

 Inada and Ido, ibid., No. 1926; Spirochaeta 

 ictero-haemorrhagiae Inada and Ido, Tokyo 

 Ijishinshi, 1916, No. 1964; also see Inada, 

 Ido, Hoki, Kaneko and Ito, Jour. Exp. 

 Med., ^3, 1916, 377; Noguchi, Jour. Exp. 

 Med., 25, 1917, 755.) 



ic.te.ro.hae.mor.rha'gi.ae. Gr. noun 

 icterus jaundice; Gr. noun haemorrhagia 

 hemorrhage; M.L. noun icterohaemorrhagia 

 hemorrhagic jaundice; M.L. gen. noun 

 icterohaemorrhagiae of hemorrhagic jaundice. 



Cells measure 0.25 to 0.3 by 6.0 to 9.0 mi- 

 crons; occasionally measure 20.0 to 25.0 

 microns in length. Spiral amplitude, 0.4 to 

 0.5 micron, regular, rigid; spiral depth, 0.3 

 micron, regular. One or more gentle waves 

 occur throughout the entire length. When in 

 liquid media, one or both ends may be semi- 

 circularly hooked, while in semisolid media 

 the organism appears serpentine, waved or 

 bent. Very active flexibility. Axial filament 

 does not extend beyond cell body; flagella 

 are absent. Body stains reddish by Giemsa's 

 stain. 



Cultured easily in a medium containing 10 

 per cent rabbit serum, 0.2 per cent agar and 

 a slight amount of hemoglobin in salt or in 

 Ringer's solution. Does not grow in surface 

 colonies. 



Bile salts (10 per cent) : The cells are easily 

 dissolved. 



Saponin (10 per cent) : The cells are com- 

 pletely resistant. 



Temperature range, 25° to 37°C. Remains 

 alive longer at 25°C. 



Pathogenic for guinea pigs, deer-mice, 

 hamsters and meriones. 



Comments: In general these characteris- 

 tics apply to the other parasitic serotypes, 

 although minor variations may occur in 

 morphology and growth; there are also dif- 

 ferences in the clinical symptoms (e.g. pres- 

 ence or absence of jaundice) of the diseases 

 which they produce in man and other sus- 

 ceptible animals. 



Source: Orginally isolated from cases of 

 infectious jaundice (Weil's disease) in man. 



Habitat: Found in kidneys and urines of 

 wild rats. No insect vector is known. Sur- 

 vives possibly for weeks in water and in 

 slime (in mines and sewers). 



2. Leptospira biflexa (Wolbach and 

 Binger, 1914) Noguchi, 1918. (Spirochaeta 

 biflexa Wolbach and Binger, Jour. Med. 

 Res., 30, 1914, 23; Noguchi, Jour. Exp. Med., 

 27, 1918, 585.) 



bi.fle'xa. L. adj. bis twice; L. part. adj. 

 flexus bent; M.L. adj. biflexus twice-bent. 



Cells, 0.2 to 0.25 by 5.0 to 7.0 microns, 

 with tapering ends. Spiral amplitude, 0.2 

 to 0.25 micron. There are 22 to 30 waves per 

 cell. Pass through an L5 candle filter. Stains 

 best with Giemsa's stain. 



Growth occurs in simple media without 

 serum. 



Optimum temperature, 20°C. 



Non-pathogenic. 



Comment: Comprises a large variety of 

 antigenic types not 3^et satisfactorily differ- 

 entiated. 



Source: Isolated from tap water, ponds 

 and pools. 



Habitat: Found in fresh water. 



