BACILLI 457 



BACILLUS HALOPHILUS 



I LIQUEFIES GELATINE 



Authority. Kussell, ' Untersuchungen iiber im Golf von Neapel lebende 

 Bacterien,' Zeitschrift fur Hygiene, vol. xi., 1891, p. 200. 



"Where Found. Occasionally in sea-water and sea-mud. 



Microscopic Appearance. Very variable in appearance. In recent sea- 

 water gelatine cultures it is a small bacillus 0*7 M broad and from 1-5 to 3'5/u long, 

 occurring frequently in pairs, and endowed with great motility. Later yeast- 

 shaped and also extended forms appear, the abnormal forms becoming more 

 numerous with the age of the culture and more pronounced in ordinary than 

 in sea-water gelatine. No spore formation was observed. It is with difficulty 

 stained with aniline colours ; it will not stain with Loeffler's solution or by 

 Gram's method. It only stains very unevenly with both Ziehl's and Kiihne's 

 (see p. 46) solutions. 



Cultures. 



SEA-WATER GELATIXI: PLATES. Circular, greyish white, semi-transparent 

 colonies appear slowly in the gelatine. Slow liquefaction takes place, but the 

 liquid is rapidly evaporated and a sharply denned deep depression is left in the 

 gelatine. Under a low power each colony appears as a white halo, but later 

 this disappears and the liquid gelatine spreads over the surface. 



SEA-WATER GELATINE TUBES. It grows with great difficulty in artificial 

 media, and then only in sea- water with ordinary gelatine. Numerous other 

 media were tried, but without any result. In from twenty-four to thirty-six hours 

 irregularly shaped, isolated, cloudy dots appear along the needle's path in the 

 depth, which soon coalesce and liquefy the gelatine, producing gas sometimes in 

 such quantities that the liquid gelatine is forced up in a frothy mass over the 

 still solid gelatine. Later the liquid usually becomes clear, and a fine deposit 

 collects at the bottom. 



Remarks. In cultures it produces a strong alkaline reaction. Another bacillus 

 obtained from sea-water by Russell is described on p. 4(>s ; a spirillar foim on p. 407 ; 

 and a cladothrix on p. 517. 



BACILLUS ZOPFII 



! LIQUEFIES GELATINE 



Authority. Kurth, Botanisclic Zciluncj, 1883. Fliigge, Die Mikroorga- 

 nismen, 1880, p. 326. 



Where Found.- In the intestine of fowls. Found by Mace (Zoc. cit.) in 

 water and soil. 



Microscopic Appearance. Bacillus from f to 1 /* broad and 2 to 5 ^ long. It 

 forms long threads in liquid culture media, but in gelatine it gives rise to 

 threads with spiral windings and every kind of snake-like contortions. It is 

 very motile. Forms spores. 



Cultures. 



GELATINE PLATES. After forty-eight hours numerous white dots are visible, 

 from the centre of which radiate a number of fine threads, resembling the 

 growth of a mould. Scattered about in this network numerous small white 

 spots are visible, which under a low power are seen to be circular brownish 

 yellow zoogloea groups, some of which are provided with isolated knotty exten- 

 sions. The centre itself consists of broad interwoven bands of parallel threads, 

 which are sometimes straight as well as plaited. (Schedtler.) 



GELATINE TUBES. According to Eoux (Precis d' Analyse microbiologiqitc dcs 

 Eaux, p. 334), liquefaction takes place after several weeks. A thick whitish 

 yellow growth develops 'all along the needle's path in the depth, from which 

 white radial lines extend and cross one another. 



BLOOD SERUM. No growth. 



Remarks. It grows best at 20 C. At from 30 to 37 C. the movements of the 

 bacilli cease, at from 37 to 40 C. involution forms appear, and after being kept for 

 some time at this temperature the bacilli are destroyed. 



