318 Suppuration 



human blood-serum. The usual capsule stains fail to color this 

 halo when the organisms are from artificial cultures, though they 

 show it well when they are in pus. The organisms stain with ordi- 

 nary dyes and by Gram's method. 



The cultures resemble those of Streptococcus pyogenes, but 

 are rather more luxuriant, the colonies having a bluish cast. The 

 organism ferments inulin, which makes Hiss think it related to the 

 pneumococcus. 



The organism taken at autopsy and inoculated into the peri- 

 toneum of a guinea-pig caused the animal to die, comatose, in 

 thirty-six hours, with peritonitis. There were 15 to 20 cc. of 

 peculiar viscid fluid in the peritoneal cavity. It had a grayish puru- 

 lent character and contained numerous flakes of fibrin. There was 

 no generalized infection. Mice and rabbits were susceptible and 

 died of generalized infection. 



The organism is not infrequently found as an apparently harm- 

 less tenant of the human mouth, where it may be confused with 

 the pneumococcus. It has also turned up unexpectedly in a variety 

 of inflammatory diseases. 



STREPTOCOCCUS ERYSIPELATIS (FEHLEISEN) 



The streptococcus of Rosenbach is generally thought to be 

 identical with a streptococcus described by Fehleisen* as Strepto- 

 coccus erysipelatis. 



The streptococcus of erysipelas can be obtained in almost pure 

 culture from the serum which oozes from a puncture made in the 

 margin of an erysipelatous patch. They are small cocci, usually 

 forming chains of from six to ten individuals, but sometimes reach- 

 ing a hundred or more in number. Occasionally the chains occur 

 in tangled masses. 



They can be cultivated at the room temperature, but grow 

 much better at 30 to 37C. They are not particularly sensi- 

 tive to the presence or absence of oxygen, but perhaps develop 

 a little more rapidly in its presence. The cultural appearances are 

 identical with those of Streptococcus pyogenes. 



When injected into animals Fehleisen's coccus behaves exactly 

 like Streptococcus pyogenes. 



MICROCOCCUS TETRAGENUS (GAFFKY) 



General Characteristics. Large, round, encapsulated cocci, regularly asso- 

 ciated in groups of four, forming tetrads. They are non-motile, non-flagellated, 

 non-sporogenous, non-liquefying, non-chromogenic, non-aerogenic, aerobic and 

 optionally aerobic, pathogenic for mice and other small animals, and stain well 

 by all methods, including that of Gram. 



A large micrococcus grouped in fours and known as Micro- 

 * "Verhandlungen der Wurzburger med. Gesellschaft," 1881. 



