Studies in Forage Poisoning V. 65 



sp. under aerobic conditions. A guinea pig weighing 400 

 gms. received by the mouth 0.2 cc. of the culture of the two 

 organisms in association in this medium and succumbed in 20 

 hours. Growth in association in acid pork broth showed 

 energetic gas production for several days and transplants by 

 a single loop in distant cultures proved pathogenic to guinea 

 pigs. 



The fact that B. botulinus may occur in nature as a toxic 

 saprophyte (van Ermengem) isolated in one instance from 

 the feces of a pig by Kempner and Pollack and further, 

 that it may develop in other media than meat (i. e. beans, 

 Landmann, Gaffky; canned peas and corn, Dickson; in al- 

 kaline alfalfa, corn and corn silage decoctions) suggests the 

 possibility of this organism, or closely allied anaerobic toxic 

 species, developing on maize or other forage in sufficient 

 amounts to cause fatal toxemia in horses and mules. In this 

 connection it seems possible for B. botulinus to adapt itself 

 to plant food of a more or less acid reaction, in association 

 with other organisms, or the reaction may be modified by 

 fermentation. The possibility of symbiotic development under 

 aerobic conditions, as pointed out by van Ermengem, Roemer, 

 and by Buckley and Shippen, must also receive consideration. 

 Contributive to our knowledge in this connection is its devel- 

 opment in vitro in forage extracts, in association with Fu- 

 sarium sp. Aside from the pathogenic character of B. botu- 

 linus for horses and mules, as originally pointed out by Buck- 

 ley and Shippen, the food requirements of B. botulinus further 

 imply a possible connection with the sporadic occurrence of 

 forage poisoning in horses and mules. 



An Anaerobic Organism Isolated from Experimental 

 Horse No. 91. 



In the report of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment 

 Station for the year 1915 the peculiar biologic character of 

 an anaerobic bacillus observed in plate cultures prepared from 

 the suspected oats, was mentioned by the late Director, Dr. 

 Joseph H. Kastle. This organism was lost, notwithstanding 

 repeated efforts to propagate it on a solid culture medium. 



