268 Wound Infection; Suppuration 



pure culture from the serum which oozes from a puncture 

 made in the margin of an erysipelatous patch. They are 

 small cocci, usually forming chains of from six to ten indi- 

 viduals, but sometimes reaching a hundred or more in num- 

 ber. Occasionally the chains occur in tangled masses. 



They can be cultivated at the room temperature, but grow 

 .much better at 3o-37 C. They are not particularly sensi- 

 tive to the presence or absence of oxygen, but perhaps de- 

 velop a little more rapidly in its presence. The cultural 

 appearances are identical with those of Streptococcus 

 pyogenes. 



When injected into animals Fehleisen's coccus behaves 

 exactly like Streptococcus pyogenes. 



Many observations have shown that dire results follow the 

 entrance of this organism into exposed wounds, where it 

 sometimes causes local suppuration, sometimes general in- 

 fection. The streptococci of erysipelas are usually highly 

 virulent. 



BACILLUS PYOCYANEUS (GESSARD). 



General Characteristics. A minute, slender, actively motile, flag- 

 ellated, non-sporogenous, chromogenic and feebly pathogenic, aerobic 

 or facultative anaerobic, liquefying bacillus, staining by ordinary 

 methods, but not by Gram's method. 



In some cases pus has a peculiar bluish or greenish color, 

 which depends upon the presence of Bacillus pyocyaneus 

 (Figs. 78, 79) of Gessard.* 



The bacillus appears to be a rather common saprophyte 

 upon the skin and mucous membranes, and has been found 

 in the perspiration. 



Morphology. It is a short, slender organism with rounded 

 ends, measuring 0.3 X 1-2 //, according to Fliigge. It is 

 frequently united in chains of four or six. It is actively 

 motile, has one terminal flagellum, and does not form 

 spores. It can exist without free oxygen, though it is an 

 almost purely aerobic organism. 



It closely resembles a harmless bacillus found in water 

 and known as Bacillus fluorescens liquefaciens, from which 

 Ruzickaf thinks it has probably descended. 



Staining. It stains well with the ordinary staining solu- 

 tions, but not by Gram's method. 



* " De la Pyocyanine et de son Microbe," These de Paris, 1882. 

 t " Centralbl. f. Bakt. u. Parasitenk.," July 15, 1898, p. 11. 



