654 Symptomatic Anthrax 



forms of the bacilli of enormous size and granular appear- 

 ance, are common in old cultures. 



Staining. The bacillus can be stained with ordinary 

 aqueous solutions of the anilin dyes, but not by Gram's 

 method. It can be colored in sections of tissue with Loffler's 

 solution, and can be observed in the blood without staining 

 shortly after death. 



The spores can be stained by ordinary methods. They 

 are quite resistant to the action of heat and disinfectants, 

 and withstand the effects of drying for a considerable length 

 of time. 



Cultivation. The bacillus of symptomatic anthrax (Fig. 

 196) is strictly anaerobic. It grows at temperatures above 



Fig. 195. Bacillus of symptomatic anthrax, containing spores, from 

 an agar-agar culture. X 1000 (Frankel and Pfeiffer). 



1 8 C., but best at 37 C. The artificial cultivation, which 

 was first achieved by Kitasato, is not more difficult than 

 that of other anaerobic organisms. 



Colonies. When the bacteria are grown without oxygen 

 in Esmarch tubes, the colonies are irregularly club-shaped 

 or spheric, with a tangled mass of delicate projecting fila- 

 ments visible upon microscopic examination. 



Gelatin. In gelatin containing i to 2 per cent, of glucose 

 or 5 per cent, of glycerin the organism develops quite well, 

 the exact appearance depending somewhat upon the method 



