576 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION G2. 



later on. This phenomenon, it is possible, may be turned to prac- 

 tical advantage in the preparations of a preventive vaccine, as will 

 be discussed. (See Appendices A., IV. and V., and B., IV.) 



Pathogenicity. — The bacillus is pathogenic for the sheep, the 

 rabbit, the guineapig, and the pigeon, small closes being fatal : e.g. . for 

 the sheep, 0.25 cc, and the smaller animals, 0.1 cc.of subcultures are 

 sufficient to cause death, unless in the case of the rabbit, which 

 shows a much greater resistance to the Victorian bacillus than to 

 the Tasmanian. The calf is as readily affected with the Tasmanian 

 bacillus as with the Blackleg bacillus, while the Victorian bacillus 

 is resisted in the tests made by me. 



Agglutination. — Serum from animals dead of the disease and 

 serum from animals immunised alike fail to produce the slightest 

 indication of agglutination when added even to the extent of 10 

 per cent, to broth cultures of the bacilli. 



Toxin. — This has not yet been investigated. That it is an 

 endotoxin is indicated by the following : — Guineapigs inoculated 

 intreperitoneally with 5 cc. filtered (virulent) first culture from 

 muscle remained normal. Fourteen days later, on being inoculated 

 with 0.15 cc. culture, death resulted in less than 20 hours, so that no 

 marked immunity was conferred by such filtered material. (See 

 Appendix A, VII., and Appendix B, V.) 



Differences between Tasmanian and Victorian 

 Bacillus. 



The bacilli isolated from the two States have, as already 

 indicated, the same general characteristics. The following are 

 the differences detected : — 



While the Tasmanian bacillus has never shown definite motility 

 the Victorian is undoubtedly definitely motile both in animal fluids 

 and in cultm'es. 



The Victorian bacillus, especially in animal fluids (oedemas), 

 is the narrower — 0.8 microns as against 1 microns. ^ It shows a 

 greater tendency to be ai'ranged in rows of four to six both in 

 animal fluids and in cultures. It stains less deeply and definitely 

 by Gram's method. The odour of cultures in test tubes of 

 broth is much less marked, indeed often barely discernible. Muscle 

 (aerobic) broth cultmes and glucose broth (anaerobic) cultures 

 are not so opaque, and gas formation is not quite so abundant. 

 Liquefaction is decidedly slower in gelatine cultures. Virulence 

 is more rapidlv lost in glucose broth. Above all, the Victorian 

 bacillus, while equally as virulent as the Tasmanian for sheep and 

 guineapigs, is not nearly so virulent for the rabbit, which with- 

 stands a larger dose than even the sheep, or apparently for the calf. 

 Stomach lesions are more definite as a rule in sheep inoculated with 

 Victorian than in those inoculated with Tasmanian cultures. 



1 In my first report on the Tasmanian disease the breadth of the bacillus is {{iven as 0.5 microns — 

 a typographical error over-looked. 



