MALTA OR MEDITERRANEAN FEVER. 113 



Biologic Characters. This coccus is aerobic and is a faculta- 

 tive saprophyte, non-motile, has no flagella, and grows on all 

 culture-media, but rather irregularly, thriving best on ordinary 

 or Loeffler's blood-serum. In inoculating cultures from the 

 exudate of patients, a large quantity of exudate must be used 

 and a number of tubes inoculated, as otherwise no growth 

 may be obtained. It seems to grow best when the exudate 

 taken comes from a recent, acute case. It does not cloud 

 bouillon, but causes a scanty deposit on the side and at the 

 bottom of the fluid. 



On glycerin-agar and blood-serum it grows as transparent, 

 shiny colonies. It does not liquefy gelatin nor does it grow 

 on potato. It grows only at the temperature of the body, 

 37 C., in two or three days. Cultures of this bacillus live 

 only for five or six days, so that it is necessary to transplant 

 them every third or fourth day. 



Pathogenesis. It can not be inoculated into animals by the 

 ordinary methods used, but intrameningeal injections, either 

 spinal or under the cerebral dura, produce a characteristic 

 meningitis and fibrinous exudate, the bacteria invading at 

 times the lungs, but never being found in the blood. 



MALTA OR MEDITERRANEAN FEVER. 

 IV. Micrococcus Melitensis. 



This organism was demonstrated by Surgeon-Major Bruce, 

 of the British Army, as the cause of what is known as Malta 

 or Mediterranean fever. 



Morphology. Round or oval cocci 0.5 mikron in diameter, 

 occurring solitary or in pairs, in cultures occasionally form- 

 ing chains, and staining by the usual anilin dyes but not by 

 Gram's method. 



The micrococcus is non-motile, but Gordon claims to have 

 demonstrated the presence of from one to four flagella. 



Biologic Characters. It is aerobic. It grows very scantily 

 on gelatin at 22 C. only at the end of several weeks, and 

 does not liquefy the gelatin. It grows best in agar, stab 



8 M. B. 



