BACILLUS ALVEI. 345 



Welch and Nuttall found, at least in their first cases, no 

 pathogenic properties for animals, but observed marked 

 formation of gas in an animal which was killed soon after 

 the intravenous injection of 0.5 to 1 c.c. of the culture. 



The organism has been rather infrequently isolated 

 from men with abscesses containing gas, etc. Here also 

 belongs the Bac. cadaveris butyricus Buday (C. B. 

 xxiv, 369). 



Occasionally there also occur gaseous phlegmons and 

 similar diseases of internal organs, in which are found the 

 Bact. coli alone or usually in combination with other 

 varieties, but without any anaerobes being present. See 

 Bunge (Fort, der Med., 1894, xn, 533). 



Bacillus alvei. Chesire and Cheyne (Jour. Royal 

 Microsc. Soc., 1885). 



Synonyms : Bacillus of the foul-brood of bees (French, "Loque"). 



Microscopically: Straight, fairly sturdy rods (0.8 fj. thick and 2.5 to 5 // 

 long) , sluggishly motile, large spores in spindle-shaped bulgings. The 

 spores show polar germination. Our culture did not sporulate. Gelatin 

 plate : Colonies first round, then they become provided with peculiar 

 sturdy outgrowths, resembling wisps of straw or tendrils arid very 

 tortuous. Similar appearances occur in the stab culture. Gelatin is 

 liquefied. In the stab there are often only single liquefying colonies, 

 which are surrounded by radially arranged liquefying outgrowths; 

 often the picture looks like an ink blot surrounded by fine outshoots. 

 Upon potato a yellowish, upon agar a white, growth. Milk is first 

 slowly coagulated ; later the coagulum is dissolved and the reaction is 

 faintly acid. The organism is only a facultative anaerobe ; our cul- 

 ture from Krai grows also aerobically. Aerobic potato cultures are 

 delicate. It produces neither indol nor H 2 S, and no gas upon nu- 

 trient media containing sugar. 



It is the cause of the characteristic disease of bees. 



We are not familiar with the actively motile Bacillus piscidicus 

 agilis N. Sieber, which was described as a facultative, anaerobic, 

 short bacillus with spores and which exhibited marked pathogenic 

 effect upon fish (C. B. xvn, 888). O. Wyss held it to be the Bact. 

 vulgare, which it certainly approaches very closely. N. Sieber, in his 

 reply to Wyss, makes no mention of spores. Z. H. xxvii, 143, and 

 xxvin, 159. 



The Anaerobic Producers of Butyric Acid. 



While medical men have studied the anaerobic varieties 

 from the pathogenic standpoint, and only secondarily in- 



