BACILLI OF THE COLON-TYPHOID-DYSENTERY GROUP 689 



sented all the symptoms of typhoid fever, but lacked serum agglutinating power 

 for Bacillus typhosus. From the blood of the patient, Gwyn isolated an organ- 

 ism, with cultural characteristics similar to those of the Gartner bacillus, which 

 he called a "paracolon bacillus." This bacillus was agglutinated specifically 

 by the serum of the patient. 



Gushing, 17 in 1900, isolated a similar microorganism from a costochondral 

 abscess, appearing during convalescence from supposed typhoid fever. 



In the same year, Schottmuller 18 reported five cases from which similar 

 bacilli were isolated. Careful cultural studies of the microorganisms here 

 obtained showed that they could be divided into two similar, yet distinctly 

 different types, one of them, the "Miiller" organism (later "A" type), approach- 

 ing closely to the typhoid type, especially in its growth upon potato; the other, 

 the "Seeman" type (later "B" type) corresponding more closely to the Gart- 

 ner bacilli. Similar cases were reported by Kurth, 19 Buxton and Coleman, 20 

 Libman, 21 and others. 



The two types of organisms, paratyphoid A and B described by Schott- 

 muller and studied by many other observers, can be culturally differentiated, 

 though not without difficulty. 



Differential Considerations. The differentiation of the various 

 organisms within the paratyphoid, enteritidis group is a very difficult 

 matter. The paratyphoid "A" organisms split off rather easily from 

 the rest of them, and seem to represent a fairly homologous group. The 

 paratyphoid " A" organisms, as shown by Ford, 22 and more particularly 

 by Krumwiede and Kohn, 23 differ from the rest of the organisms of this 

 general group in not fermenting xylose. Also, they do not change lead 

 acetate agar. Serologically, it may be said in a general way, though it 

 is not absolutely true, that paratyphoid "A" represents an antigenically 

 homologous group and that a serum produced with one member of the 

 "A" group will, in a general way, possess antibodies against other "A" 

 organisms. The remaining organisms of this paratyphoid group differ 

 materially from each other and cannot be subdivided into final groups, 

 as yet. However, a tentative grouping, based partly upon the sources 

 from which they were obtained and partly upon fermentations and 

 serological reactions, can be attempted, and a great deal of valuable 

 work in this direction has been done by Theobald Smith and his co- 



17 Gushing, Johns Hopkins Hosp. Bull., 1900. 



18 Schottmuller, Deut. med. Woch., 1900; Zeit. f. Hyg., xxvi. 



19 Kurth, Deut. med. Woch., 1901. 



20 Buxton, and Coleman. Proc. N. Y. Pathol. Soc., Feb., 1902. 



21 Libman, Jour. Med. Res., N. S., iii, 1902. 



22 Ford, Med. News, June 17, 1905. 



23 Krumwiede and Kohn, Jour. Med. Res., 36, 1917, 509. 



