BACILLUS ANTHRACIS AND ANTHRAX 



565 



in the blood of infected subjects. The spores are located in the middle 

 of the bacilli and are distinctly oval. They are difficult to stain, but 

 may be demonstrated by any of the usual spore-staining procedures, 

 such as Holler's or Novy's methods. The bacilli themselves are easily 

 stained by the usual anilin dyes, and gentian-violet or fuchsiu in aque- 

 ous solution may be conveniently employed. They are not decolorized 

 by Gram's method. 



In preparations from animal tissues or blood, stained by special pro- 



FIG. 121. BACILLUS ANTHRACIS. In section of kidney of animal dead of 



anthrax. 



cedures, the anthrax bacillus may occasionally be seen to possess a cap- 

 sule. The capsule is never seen in preparations from the ordinary 

 artificial media. Some observers have demonstrated them in cultures 

 grown in fluid blood serum. In chains of anthrax bacilli, the capsule 

 when present seems to envelop the entire chain and not the individual 

 bacteria separately. 



Isolation. Isolation of the anthrax bacillus from infected material 



