136 BACTERIOLOGY 



Pathogenesis. Subcutaneous inoculations cause septicaemia in mice, guinea 



pigs, and rabbits; bacilli in the blood. 

 Habitat. Isolated from the faeces of a dog. 



34. Bact. suicida (Migula) 



Bacillus der deutschen Schwtineseuche Loffler-Schutz : Arbeiten Kaiserl. Gesundheitsamte, 



I. 1886, 51, 376. 

 Bacillus of switt e-plague Salmon : U. S. Dept. Ag., Bureau Animal Industry, 1886, 87. 

 Bact. suicida Migula: Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfam., 1895. 

 B. sulsepticus Krusc : Fliigge, Die Mikroorganismen, 1896, 419. 



Morphology. Bacilli 0.5-0.6 : 1 .0 ; -others 0.7-0.8 : 1 .8 /*, rounded ends ; polar 

 stain. Growth on gelatin rather variable ; negative to very feeble. 



Gelatin colonies. Deep-, after some days round, entire, brownish, granular 

 centres, and pale margins, 0.2-0.5 mm - Surface: like the former, but 

 4-5 times as large. 



Agar colonies. Deep: in 24 hours 0.2 mm., round lenticular, brownish, 

 opaque, smooth or beset with knobs. Surface: round, entire, slightly 

 convex, white translucent ; microscopically, centre brownish, granular 

 toward margins, becoming homogeneous, translucent, with very delicate 

 radial striations. Plates give off a disagreeable pungent odor. 



Agar slant. Isolated colonies or a thin grayish translucent layer; growth in 

 condensation water viscid. 



Bouillon. Faintly turbid or granular in clumps clear; sediment viscous; 

 slightly acid. 



Milk. Not coagulated, becoming slightly acid. 



Potato. No appreciable growth ; according to Karlinsky a very delicate, 

 limited, straw-yellow growth. 



Indol. Negative or only a trace. Phenol: present (Smith) or absent 

 (Karlinsky). 



Pathogenesis. Variable in bacilli from different outbreaks. Subcutaneous in- 

 oculations of rabbits, in virulent types, cause a rapid septicaemia ; less 

 virulent, death in 40 hours to 7 days. Peritonitis, hemorrhagic or diph 

 theritic, with bacilli in exudate; few bacilli in blood or organs. Atten- 

 uated forms cause death only after several weeks ; local inflammatory 

 reaction, circumscribed or spread over abdomen and thorax. Guinea 

 pigs : as in rabbits, but slightly less susceptible. Fowl and pigeons : 

 refractory to subcutaneous inoculations ; injections into pectoral muscle 

 cause death in 36-48 hours. 



Habitat. Associated with swine plague. 



