470 LEPROSY AND ACID-FAST BACTERIA 



they may be confused with the tubercle bacillus in the examination 

 of urine or feces for the latter. The organisms are not pathogenic 

 for guinea-pigs and a distinction between the smegma bacillus and 

 the tubercle bacillus may be effected in this way. 



The Nasal Secretion Bacillus. Karlinski 1 isolated an organism 

 from the nasal secretion of a man which possessed morphological and 

 staining peculiarities very similar to those of the tubercle bacillus. 

 Similar or identical organisms have been isolated from tonsillar 

 exudates, from a few cases of pulmonary gangrene and from sputum. 



The organism grows readily on ordinary media. It presents no 

 definite peculiarities of staining which would distinguish it from the 

 tubercle bacillus, and its occasional occurrence in the nasal and oral 

 secretions necessitates great care in distinguishing it from that organism. 



The organism is non-pathogenic for guinea-pigs and in suspicious 

 cases a differentiation between the nasal secretion bacillus and the 

 tubercle bacillus can be made through this animal. 



Bacillus Phlei. Synonyms. Grass bacillus, Timothy grass bacillus, 

 Mist bacillus. 



Historical. The most important investigations of the saprophytic 

 acid-fast bacilli are those of Moeller. 2 The members of this group, 

 designated as Grass bacillus I and II, from hay infusions, and the 

 Mist bacillus from manure, are very similar in their general staining 

 and cultural reactions so similar that the slight differences noticed 

 are of insufficient magnitude to warrant their separation into distinct 

 types. For the present they are best regarded as variants of the 

 same organism. 



Morphology. Bacillus phlei resembles the tubercle bacillus (human 

 type) in its morphological characters, except that it is somewhat 

 shorter and relatively thicker. Occasionally isolated organisms exhibit 

 swollen, club-shaped ends, and branching is frequently observed in 

 cultures in artificial media. They stain with difficulty and resist the 

 combined decolorizing action of mineral acids and alcohol. 



Isolation and Culture. The organisms grow readily and rapidly on 

 ordinary media, and after three or four days' incubation, the colonies 

 are round, somewhat waxy in appearance, and vary in diameter from 

 2 to 5 mm. Typically colonies are yellowish to a dark orange in color. 

 Subcultures are obtained very readily. 



1 Centralbl. f. Bakt., 1901, xxxix, 525. 



2 Deutsch. med. Wchnschr., 1898, No. 24; Centralbl. f. Bakt., 1899, xxv, 369; 1901, 

 xxx, 513. 



