;44 



BACILLUS PATHOGENIC IN ANIMALS. 



characters. 



lated by first purifying the surface of a diseased comb 

 containing in its interior affected larvae with sublimate 

 solution, and then opening the cells with heated instru- 

 ments; small portions of the dead and almost fluid 

 larvae were then employed for microscopical examination 

 and for cultivation ; by both methods a very characteristic 

 bacillus w r as found alone and in large numbers. 

 Morphological The bacillus alvei is 3*63 p. in length, and '83 p. in 

 breadth ; the length of the organism in cultivations 

 varied between 2'54 and 5'08 /z. The ends of the bacilli 

 are rounded or pointed. Slow spontaneous movement 

 can be noticed in many bacilli. 

 They form very large spores, usu- 

 ally preceded by a swelling of the 

 bacillus in a spindle-shaped form ; 

 these spores are 2'12 /*. in length, 

 and 1'07 ^. in breadth, and are 

 thus broader than the bacillus and 

 occupy more than half its length. 

 The spores do not take up aniline 

 colours, but the bacilli can be 

 readily stained ; when the spores 

 are commencing to sprout, which 

 occurs after they have become 

 elongated at one pole, they again 

 take up the colouring matter. 

 Watson Cheyne has been able to 

 study the formation of spores, and 

 to follow accurately their mode of 

 Fig. 93.-Bacillus alvei sprouting, by setting on foot nu- 

 x 3000. From a cui- merous ^ r0 p cultivations, some 



tivationm blood serum. V > 



At *, we see spores (after from material containing only 

 b ac ini, and some from material 

 containing only spores, and after 



these cultivations have been kept at the body tempera- 

 ture for varying lengths of time (10, 20, 40, 60 minutes, 

 &c.), taking off the cover glass, drying and staining it. 

 The series of permanent preparations so obtained, re- 

 placed in a more complete manner the continued obser- 

 vation of one and the same cultivation. 



Method of 

 studying the 

 formation of 

 spores. 



Cheshire and Watson 



