BACILLUS PROTEUS GROUP 361 



casein, deuteroalbumose, peptone, mono- and diamino-acids (histidin 

 and lysin), tyrosin, indol, and skatol. 1 An extensive liberation of 

 ammonia takes place in protein media free from sugars. 2 Ammonia 

 is also formed from the proteins of milk, but more slowly, and in 

 smaller amounts. 3 Carbon dioxide and hydrogen (H : CO 2 f) are 

 formed in dextrose and saccharose broths, together with lactic acid 

 and small amounts of formic acid. Lactose is unfermented. 4 Urea 

 is actively decomposed, ammonia and carbon dioxide being liberated. 5 

 The addition of dextrose prevents the liberation of ammonia and 

 carbon dioxide. 6 



(b) Enzymes. B. proteus produces a soluble proteolytic enzvme 

 in protein media containing no utilizable sugars, which liquefies egg 

 albumen, fibrin, blood serum, and gelatin. This enzyme is not pro- 

 duced when utilizable sugars are present in the medium. No other 

 enzymes are known. 



(c) Toxins. A soluble toxin has not been demonstrated in cultures 

 of B. proteus. At one time "sepsin" (see page 75) was supposed to 

 be an important factor in "ptomain poisoning." This substance is 

 produced in but minute amounts by proteus bacilli, however, and 

 no importance is attached to it. The nature of the poisonous substance 

 produced by B. proteus is unknown. 



Pathogenesis. Several types of disease have been attributed to 

 members of the proteus group. Meat poisoning and ptomain poison- 

 ing epidemics caused by eating meats decomposed by the organisms 

 have been reported by Levy, 7 Wesenberg, 8 Silberschmidt, 9 and Pfuhl. 10 

 Dieudonne 11 has described an epidemic which originated in a potato 

 salad from which proteus bacilli were isolated. B. proteus is one of 

 the very few bacteria which will cause cystitis when it is injected 

 into the urinary bladder. Cystitis in man is frequently caused by 

 B. proteus. 12 Pyelonephritis, frequently of a very purulent type, and 

 abscesses are occasionally caused by members of the group. The 

 organisms do not as a rule grow in normal tissues, but they grow 



1 Taylor, Ztschr. f. physiol. Chem., 1902, xxxvi. 



2 Kendall, Day and Walker, Jour. Am. Chem. Soc., 1913, xxxv, 1232^ 



3 Ibid., 1914, xxxvi, 1945. 



4 Theobald Smith, Fermentation Tube, Wilder Quarter Century Book, 1893, p. 213. 



5 Schnitzler, Centralbl. f. Bakt., 1893, xiv, 219. 



6 Brodmeier, Centralbl. f. Bakt., 1895, xviii, 380. 



7 Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 1895, xxxiv, 342. 



8 Ztschr. f. Hyg., 1898, xxviii, 484. 



9 Ibid., 1899, xxx, 328. 



10 Ibid., 1900, xxxv, 265. 



11 Miinchen. med. Wchnschr., 1903, 2282. 



12 See Meyerhof. Centralbl. f. Bakt., 1898, xxiv, 18, 55, 148. 



