THE STREPTOCOCCI 425 



Toxic Products. In spite of extensive researches by many in- 

 vestigators upon the nature of the poisons produced by streptococci, 

 our understanding of these substances is still very incomplete. The 

 grave systemic symptoms so often accompanying comparatively 

 slight streptococcus lesions argue strongly for the production by 

 these microorganisms of a powerful diffusible poison. Toxic nitrates 

 of streptococcus cultures have indeed been obtained by Roger, 73 

 Marmier, 74 Baginsky and Sommerfeld, 75 Marmorek, 76 and many 

 others; but these have in no case been comparable in potency to 

 the soluble toxins of diphtheria or of tetanus. When injected into 

 young guinea-pigs in sufficient quantity, these nitrates produce rapid 

 collapse and death. 



Aronson 77 in 1902 found that nitrates from streptococcus cultures 

 made in various ways were practically without toxicity, although 

 he occasionally obtained toxic symptoms by giving very large doses 

 of two to four-day cultures. The residue of streptococcus body 

 substances was not toxic at all. Simons 78 in 1904 found a similar 

 lack of toxicity of the bodies of the organisms, but claimed that 

 nitrates of broth cultures two to nine days old produced emaciation 

 and diarrhea in rabbits. He claimed that it was necessary to grow 

 the organisms in the presence of animal exudates or leucocytes, a 

 claim which corresponds to Marmorek 79 ideas. Braun 80 found some 

 toxicity of nitrates of streptococcus cultures for rabbits. More 

 recently, Clark and Fenton 81 cultivated hemolytic streptococci upon 

 Locke's solution containing defibrinated blood and 0.5 per cent 

 glucose. They claimed that 0.5 to 1 c.c. of the filtrates of such 

 cultures killed rabbits with considerable regularity. 



We ourselves have made similar studies of streptococcus poisons 

 and were unable to confirm the claim of Clark and Fenton though 

 following the very same method. We have found, however, 

 that cultures of various hemolytic streptococci made upon hormone 

 broth, and similar broth with defibrinated blood, grown for from 



73 Eager, Kev. de med., 1892. 



74 Marmier, Ann. de 1'inst. Pasteur, ix, 1895, p. 533. 

 '"'Baginsky und Sommerfeld, Berl. klin. Woch., ]900. 

 T6 Marmorek, Berl. klin. Woch., 1902. 



"Aronson, Berl. klin. Woch., 1902, 39. 



78 Simons, Cent. f. Bakt., 35, 1904. 



79 M armor ek, Ann. de PInst. Past., 16, 1902, 169. 



80 Braun, Cent. f. Bakt., 61, 1912, 383. 



81 Clark and Fenton, Jour. A. M. A., 71, 1918, 1048. 



