452 



PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS 



connective tissue lie many large swollen cells, the so-called "Mikulicz 

 cells." l The rhinoscleroma bacilli lie within these cells and in the 

 intercellular spaces. They can be demonstrated in histological sections 

 and can be cultivated from the lesions, usually in pure culture. Rhino- 

 scleroma is rare in America. It is most prevalent in Southeastern 

 Europe. The disease is slowly progressive and comparatively intract- 

 able to surgical treatment, 

 but hardly ever affects 

 the general health unless 

 by mechanical obstruction 

 of the air passages. 



B. Ozsense. The work 

 of Abel 2 and others has 

 shown that ozena, or fetid 

 nasal catarrh, is almost al- 

 ways associated with a 

 bacillus morphologically 

 and culturally almost iden- 

 tical with B. mucosus 

 capsulatus. The bacillus 

 can not be definitely sepa- 

 rated from the latter. Ac- 

 cording to Wilde 3 it forms 

 no gas in dextrose bouillon 

 and is less pathogenic for 

 mice than B. Friedlander. 



FIG. 95. BACILLUS OF RHINOSCLEROMA. Sec- 

 tion of tissue showing the microorganisms 

 within Mikulicz cells. (After Frankel and 

 Pfeiffer.) 



Whether it is a separate 



species, or merely an atypical form changed by environment, can not 

 be stated at present. 



Perez Bacillus of Ozaena. Perez 4 in 1899 described another micro- 

 organism which he connects etiologically with ozsena. The Perez bacillus 

 is Gram-negative, pleomorphic, non-motile and non-capsulated. It grows 

 easily on ordinary media, does not liquefy gelatin, and makes indol. Its 

 cultures have a characteristic fetid odor. Intravenously injected into 

 rabbits it seems to produce a localized lesion in the nasal cavity on the 

 turbinated bones. Hofer 5 has also isolated it, but recent work leaves 

 its importance as the causative agent in doubt. 



1 Mikulicz, Arch. f. Chir., xx, 1876. 2 Abel, Zeit. f. Hyg., xxi. 



4 Perez, Animal de 1'Inst. Past. 1899. 



6 Hofer, Wien. klin. Woch., vol. 26, pp. 1011 and 1628, 



3 Wilde, loc. cit. 



