Bacilli Resembling the Tetanus Bacillus 399 



BACILLI RESEMBLING THE TETANUS BACILLUS. 



Tavel * has called attention to a bacillus commonly found 

 in the intestine, sometimes in large numbers in the appendix 

 in cases of appendicitis, and looked upon by one of his 

 colleagues, Fraulein Dr. von Mayer, as the probable common 

 cause of appendicitis. He calls it the "Pseudo-tetanus- 

 bacillus." 



The bacillus is slender and measures 0.5 by 5-7 /*, is 

 rather more slender than the tetanus bacillus, and its spores 

 are oval, situated at the end of the rod, and cause a slight 

 bulging rather pointed at the end. The bacillus is provided 

 with not more than a dozen flagella, usually only four to 

 eight, thus differing markedly from the tetanus bacillus, 

 which has many. The flagella are easily stained by Loffler's 

 method without the addition of acid or alkali. The organ- 

 ism does not stain so well by Gram's method as the true 

 tetanus bacillus. The bacillus is a pure anaerobe. 



The growth in bouillon is rather more rapid than that of 

 the tetanus bacillus. It will not grow in gelatin. The 

 growth in agar-agar is very luxuriant and accompanied 

 by the evolution of gas. Upon obliquely solidified agar- 

 agar the colonies are round, circumscribed, and often en- 

 compassed by a narrow, clear zone, which is often notched. 

 The organism grows in serum only in a vacuum. The spores 

 are killed at 80 C. 



The organism produced no symptoms in mice, guinea- 

 pigs, and rabbits even when 2-5 c.c. of a culture were 

 subcutaneously introduced. 



Sanfelice f and L/ubinski { have observed a bacillus in 

 earth and meat-infusions that is morphologically and cul- 

 turally like the tetanus bacillus, but differs from it in not 

 possessing any pathogenic powers. 



Kruse has also described a bacillus much like the tetanus 

 micro-organism that grows aerobically. It is not patho- 

 genic. 



* "Centralbl. f. Bakt.," etc., March 31, 1898, xxm, No. 13, p. 538. 



f "Zeitschrift fur Hygiene," vol. xiv. 



} "Centralbl. f. Bakt. u. Parasitenk.," xvi, 19. 



Haggis, " Die Mikroorganismen," vol. n, p. 267. 



