MICROCOCCUS ASCOFORMANS. 179 



most with concentric zones. Agar plate is similar. Gelatin stab : a 

 not very luxuriant, glue-brown, shining growth ; along the stab a del- 

 icately granular growth. Agar stab : Moist, transparent, glue-brown. 

 Gelatin is very slowly and slightly liquefied. Bouillon uniformly 

 cloudy. Upon potato there occurs a dark yellowish-brown, gelatinous 

 growth. Growth always slight. No growth in milk. 



It was obtained from Krai as Sarc. lutea, and was not met by us 

 elsewhere. It reminds one of the Sarc. fulva Stubenrath. 



Micrococcus ascoformans 1 (Johne). 



Synonyms. Discomyces equi Rivolta, Micr. botryo- 

 genes Rabe, Botryomyces Bellinger, Botryococcus ascofor- 

 mans Kitt. 



Literature. Kitt (C. B. in, 177), Schneidemiihl (C. B. xxiv, 271). 



Fig. 15. Ascococcus Billrothii Cohn (after F. Cohn). 



It occurs in the tissue and pus of the pathologic forma- 

 tion, grouped like grains of sand, surrounded by a gelatin- 

 ous mass with a double-contoured, shining covering. In 

 cultures no capsule is formed, except that upon blood-serum 

 hartshorn-like plugs occur. 



According to Johne' s description the cultures very much 

 resemble those of the Micr. luteus and flavus. The micro- 

 cocci are usually arranged in pairs or fours. Gelatin plate : 



1 The Micr. ascoformans recalls involuntarily an organism which 

 Cohn had described as Ascococcus Billrothii. It forms spherical or 

 lobulated colonies upon artificial nutrient media, which possess a thick, 

 gelatinous or cartilaginous capsule. A similar organism was described 

 by Hankin as Ascococcus cantabridgensis, obtained from the mouth of 

 a student in Cambridge. The coccus quickly covers agar with a trans- 

 parent, slimy, very delicate covering of yellowish-white color, and 

 grows rather slowly in bouillon and gelatin. It is different from Asc. 

 Billrothii in the oblong form of its individual groups and the less dis- 

 tinctly visible capsule. 



