CHAPTER VIII. 



CATARRHAL INFLAMMATION. 



MICROCOCCUS CATARRHALIS (SEIFERT). 



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

 non-sporulating, non-flagellated, non-liquefying aerobic and optionally 

 anaerobic, non-chromogenic coccus, pathogenic for man, and not for the 

 lower animals, cultivable upon the ordinary media, staining by the 

 ordinary methods, but not by Gram's method. 



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

 the staphylococci, was first observed, in sections of the lung 

 of a case of influenza, by Seifert.* It was successfully culti- 

 vated in 1890 by Kirchnerf from 10 cases of an influenza- 

 like affection. It has since been frequently demonstrated 

 in the exudates from various inflammatory conditions of the 

 respiratory tract and conjunctiva, and seems to be a not 

 uncommon organism of superficial inflammations. It is 

 a rather troublesome organism, causing some confusion 

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

 close resemblance to the pneumococcus except in cases in 

 which the capsules of the latter are distinct. It is also 

 readily taken up by the leukocytes, and may so resemble 

 the gonococcus; and it is not always easy, perhaps not 

 always possible, to distinguish it from the Diplococcus 

 intracellularis meningitidis. 



Morphology. The organism is spheric or slightly ovoid, 

 may occur singly, though usually appears in pairs or clus- 

 ters. Large numbers are enclosed in the leukocytes or other 

 cells. The spheric organisms have a diameter of about 



1 ^; the ovoid organisms may measure as much as 1.5 by 



2 li. The relation of the cocci to the cells seems to have 

 something to do with the course of the inflammatiory con- 

 ditions with which they are associated. During the activity 

 of the process large numbers of the cocci may be free ; toward 

 its close they may all be enclosed in the leukocytes. 



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

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

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