154 BACTERIOLOGY FOR NURSES 



until bacteriological examinations show that the 

 fecal discharges are free from cholera'spirilla. 



Allied Spirilla. A number of spirilla strongly 

 resembling S. cholerce have been observed in sewage 

 and impure water especially, most of which seem 

 to be saprophytes. 



RELAPSING FEVER 



Relapsing fever, as the name indicates, is a fever 

 characterized by a number of seizures, or relapses, 

 which occur from two to four or more times. The 

 disease is due to Spirillum obermeieri, which was 

 first observed by Obermeier in 1873 in the blood 

 of patients suffering with relapsing fever. 



The disease has at times prevailed in all parts of 

 Europe, India, and the United States; but in recent 

 years the disease rarely occurs in the United States. 



S. obermeieri is a large spirillum with several 

 spirals and a single flagellum at one end. It is ac- 

 tively motile. All attempts at artificial cultivation 

 have so far proved unsuccessful. 



Infection occurs through inoculation; and mon- 

 keys, rats, and mice may also be infected. The 

 disease is rarely fatal in man or animals. There are 

 several diseases caused by similar organisms, the 

 principal one being African tick fever, in which man 

 is infected by means of a tick bite. 



