MICRO-ORGANISMS BELONGING TO THE HIGHER BACTERIA 431 



others were incised. The material evacuated did not resemble ordinary 

 pus, but was thick and mucilaginous and exceedingly tenacious, like 

 that from the subcutaneous abscesses of the patient described above. 

 The microscopic appearance was the same, and the streptothrix 

 threads were found in considerable numbers. Pure cultures of the 

 streptothrix were easily obtained from the pus whether the abscesses 

 ruptured spontaneously or were incised. Several rabbits and guinea- 

 pigs and two cats received peritoneal inoculations, but none of them 

 showed any sign of infection. Sometimes at the point of inoculation 

 a few tuberculous nodules w r ere found at autopsy, but cultures were 

 not obtained from them. No local infection of any consequence and 

 no general infection was produced in this way. Thus far little viru- 

 lence had been shown by the streptothrix in inoculation experiments; 

 but when rabbits were inoculated intravenously, a rapidly fatal general 

 infection was produced, and the lesions were similar in kind and 

 distribution to those described in the human subject. Other cases 

 reported are the following: 



Ferri and Faguet found in Bordeaux, in a cerebral abscess in the 

 centrum ovale, a branching fungus, colored by Gram, which corre- 

 sponded to the streptothrix. It grew on agar in round, ochre-colored 

 colonies ; on potato there was little growth visible ; slimy, tough colonies, 

 which became gray and remained free from white dusting on the surface. 

 Inoculations in rabbits and guinea-pigs were negative. 



CLADOTHRIX AND STREPTOTHRIX IN CASES SIMULATING ACTING- 

 MYCOSIS OR TUBERCULOSIS. INTERMEDIATE CASES BETWEEN STREP- 

 TOTHRIX AND ACTINOMYCOSIS. Gasten found in a case of apparently 

 typical actinomycosis, in which abscess cavities were found along the 

 spinal column, not the usual actinomyces in the yellow, granular pus, 

 but a fine mass of filament. Cultures grew on all the ordinary media, 

 best at incubator temperature, but also at lower temperature on gelatin. 

 The gelatin stick culture, which was especially characteristic, formed 

 on the surface a whitish button; delicate thread stretched out in all 

 directions from the point of inoculation. On agar and potato rumpled, 

 folded films with white deposit on the surface, which contained spores. 

 Animal inoculation gave positive results only in a few cases of intra- 

 peritoneal injection of rabbits and guinea-pigs. Purulent nodules were 

 found in the peritoneum. Gasten called the organism "cladothrix 

 liquefaciens." 



Sabraces and Riviere found, in a case of cerebral abscess and a case 

 of chronic lung disease with occurrence of subacute abscesses, fungi 

 which differed from actinomyces. The organisms were contained in 

 the lungs and pus in the latter in pure culture. They grew best at 37 

 C. in the presence of oxygen. On agar plates round, wart-like colonies 

 were found with yellowish under and whitish upper surface. Grew 

 particularly well on fat and glycerin media; in milk a flesh-colored rim 

 was developed; in glycerin agar a rough, brownish deposit, becoming 

 black with age. Gelatin was liquefied. The culture had a strong odor 

 of old mould. A yellowish pigment was usually produced which dis- 



