CHAPTER IX 

 CATARRHAL INFLAMMATION 



MICROCOCCUS CATARRHALIS (SEIFERT) 



General Characteristics. A small, slightly ovoid, non-motile, non-sporulatin^ 

 non-flagellated, non-liquefying aerobic and optionally anaerobic, non-chrome 

 genie coccus, pathogenic for man, and not for the lower animals, cultivable upo 

 the ordinary media, staining by the ordinary methods, but not by Gram's methoc 



This micro-organism, which seems to be closely related to th 

 staphylococci, was first observed, in sections of the lung of a case c 

 influenza, by Seifert.* It was successfully cultivated in 1890 b; 

 Kirchnerf from 10 cases of an influenza-like affection. It has sine 

 been frequently demonstrated in the exudates from various in 



Fig. 144. Micrococcus catarrhalis in smear from sputum (F. T. Lord; photo b 



L. S. Brown). 



flammatory conditions of the respiratory tract and conjunctive 

 and seems to be a not uncommon organism of superficial inflamma 

 tions. It is a rather troublesome organism, causing some confusio: 

 because of its disposition to occur in pairs, which gives it a clos 

 resemblance to the pneumococcus except in cases in which the cap 



* " Volkmann's klin. Vortr.," Nr. 240. 

 f'Zeitschr. f. Hyg.," Bd. 9. 

 400 



