BACILLUS PROTEUS VULGARIS. 541 



Upon nutrient agar a rapidly spreading, moist, thin, 

 grayish-white layer appears, and migration of the col- 

 onies also occurs. Milk is coagulated, with the pro- 

 duction of acid. 



The cultures in media containing albumin or gelatin 

 have a disagreeable, putrefactive odor, and become alka- 

 line in reaction. Growth is most luxuriant at a tem- 

 perature of 24 C., but is plentiful also at 37 C. It 

 is a facultative anaerobe and grows also in the presence 

 of oxygen, but the proteus then loses its power of lique- 

 fying gelatin. It produces indol and phenol from pep- 

 tone solutions. The proteus develops fairly well in 

 urine, and decomposes urea into carbonate of ammonia. 



Pathogenesis. This bacillus is pathogenic for rabbits 

 and guinea-pigs when injected in large quantities into 

 the circulation, into the abdominal cavity, or subcuta- 

 neously, producing death of the animals with symptoms 

 of poisoning. Hauser has obtained the bacillus proteus 

 vulgaris from a case of purulent peritonitis, from puru- 

 lent puerperal endometritis, and from a phlegmonous 

 inflammation of the hand. Brunner also reports simi- 

 lar infections in which this organism was found asso- 

 ciated with pus cocci, and Charrin describes a case of 

 pleuritis during pregnancy in which the proteus was 

 present and a foul-smelling secretion was produced. 

 Death in this case, which ensued without further com- 

 plication, is said to have been due probably to the 

 poisonous products of the proteus. 



An interesting example of pure toxaemia resulting 

 from the toxin of the proteus is reported by Levy : 

 While conducting some experiments on this organism 

 he had an opportunity of making a bacteriological ex- 

 amination in the case of a man who died after a short 



