BURRT, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, 1904. 65 



Further attempts were then made to study the species culturally. 

 lie smeared some freshly infected larvae supposed to contain only 

 rods upon a certain medium and obtained spore-bearing rods and 

 spores similar to those which had been observed in the diseased 

 larvse. He made a similar inoculation from the dead larvae which 

 had turned bro^\Ti and wliich contained only spores, and as a result 

 of tliis inoculation he obtained motile rods which later formed spores. 

 Burri was somewhat inclined to believe that pure cultures had been 

 obtained by his method of inoculation, although he states that the 

 obtaining of pure cultures of this organism had to remain an unful- 

 filled ^^dsh. 



From his studies Burri came to the conclusion that the organism 

 is neither Bacillus alvei nor Bacillus mesenfericus, but a new one. 

 He repeated some of the experiments reported by Lambotte (p. 53), 

 but was inchned to believe that the latter was in error. Besides 

 studying from a number of samples this form of foul brood to wliich 

 he referred as the nonstinking form (most probably American foul 

 brood), Burri received and studied other samples of foul brood to 

 which he referred as the foul-smelling form (most probably European 

 foul brood). In the latter disease he found a large number of bacteria 

 unlike those observed in samples of the other disease studied. The 

 species which was present in large numbers in the latter samples 

 grew without difficulty when so\vn on artificial media, and he identified 

 it as Bacillus alvei Cheshire and Che5rne (p. 25). 



We are not inclined to tliink of this latter disease (European foul 

 brood) as the one wliich is the more foul smelling of the two, nor the 

 former the ropy form (American foul brood) as the less stinking one 

 of the two. It is true that only a few of the samples of American 

 foul brood have a disagreeable odor when they reach the laboratory; 

 nevertheless, the most disagreeable odor encountered in diseased 

 brood when it is examined in the apiary is present in those colonies 

 that are affected wdtli American foul brood. It is American foul 

 brood that the American bee keepers tliink of when the}^ refer to the 

 foul-smelling foul brood. 



Burri encountered other bacteria than Bacillus alvei and the one 

 which was difficult of cultivation. He mentions the presence of 

 bacteria wliich he associated wdth a condition referred to as sour 

 brood. He reports that he had always found foul brood present vnth 

 tliis latter condition. 



The following are the conclusions drawn by Burri m his paper: 



1. There are in Switzerland, and also in other places, at least two distinct kinds of 

 bacteria which can produce a typical contagious foul brood. In one case it is Bacillus 

 alvei described by Cheshire and Cheyne; in the other a species of bacterium not 

 formerly known, which is difficult to cultivate. 

 13140°— Bull. 98—12 5 



