CHOLERA. 469 



cases of colon enteritis occur can not as yet be neg- 

 lected. 



A specific colon toxin has not been obtained. 



Immunization with the colon bacillus causes the 

 formation of bactericidal amboceptors, opsonins 

 and agglutinins. 



Not all strains of the colon bacillus are identical 

 in their agglutinogenic receptors. A serum which 

 agglutinates one colon strain does not necessarily 

 agglutinate all strains. The reaction, according to 

 Paltauf and others, is largely an individual one. 

 The serum of a patient with a colon infection will 

 agglutinate the strain causing the disease, but may 

 not aJfect other strains. Hence, for diagnostic 

 purposes, the test must be performed with the cul- 

 ture which has been obtained from the patient. 

 Pfaundler says in reference to colicolitis that if 

 other colon infections can be excluded, and if the 

 serum of the patient gives the agglutination reac- 

 tion in a dilution of 1 to 50 with the bacillus 

 which has been cultivated from the stools, colon 

 infection is indicated (Paltauf). 



Vaccine therapy has been successfully applied to specific 

 many of these colon bacillus infections. The 

 autogenous organism should always be used owing 

 to variation in the bacilli, especially in infections 

 of the urinary tract. 



VI. CHOLERA. 



In 1883 Koch discovered the Vibrio cholerce and 

 cultivated it from the stools of cholera patients. 

 The organism may be cultivated from the stools of 

 the patients invariably, and is never found in other 

 diseases nor in normal stools, except in the case of 

 non-susceptible persons who may be encountered 



