PARATYPHOID BACILLUS 173 



Paratyphoid Bacillus. A pathogenic organism producing all 

 the clinical symptoms of typhoid, only in milder form (at times) 

 has been discovered. It differs from the true bacillus because it 

 ferments dextrose and maltose producing gas and acid, and is not 

 agglutinated by the serum from a true typhoidal infection. 

 There are several closely related varieties differing in growth upon 

 litmus milk and in fermenting several sugars but in other respects 

 they resemble the typhoid bacillus, and seem to occupy a position 

 between it and the colon bacillus. Paratyphoid endotoxin resists 

 6oC. from thirty to sixty minutes and in the case of the organisms 

 of meat poisoning, paratyphoid beta, paracolon and the Gartner 

 bacillus, a short exposure to the boiling point does not seem to 

 destroy the toxin. 



It is generally taught today that the foregoing organisms 

 produce infections of similar clinical characters in that they are 

 contracted in the same manner, have comparable pathology 

 and immunity reactions and are amenable to the same pro- 

 phylactic measures; they are designated "the typhoid fevers." 



The Paracolons are organisms like the paratyphoids, but some- 

 what closer to the colon bacillus (for example, see page 177). 

 This term is best applied to organisms of the meat poisoning 

 group, as the Gartner bacillus, the hog cholera bacillus, so that 

 the varieties which cause typhoid fever in man can be recognized 

 under the term paratyphoid. 



Blood cultures are often employed in large hospitals for the 

 diagnosis of typhoid fever. During the first week of the attack 

 bacilli may be recovered from the blood by withdrawing 10 c.c. 

 of blood from a vein and mixing it with 500 c.c. of bouillon. The 

 large amount of blood is necessary, because the bacilli are few in 

 number, and the bactericidal action of the serum outside the 

 body is powerful until mixed with the bouillon, after which the 

 bacilli are able to withstand it. The bacilli may be easily isolated 

 from the blood by adding the latter to some bile and then incubat- 

 ing it. From the bile, cultures are made in agar or in bouillon. 



