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BACILLUS CEDEMATIS MALIGNI, NO. II. 



Novy. (1893). 



Origin. From guinea-pigs inoculated with milk nuclein 

 obtained from casein by digestion with artificial gastric juice. 



Form. In the animal body it occurs usually in single rods, 4-5 

 times as long as wide ; may also' occur in short threads. On arti- 

 ficial media it develops as straight or bent rods, sometimes forming 

 peculiarly twisted threads. The contents are often granular, and 

 show a bright body at one end. 



Motility. Possesses a slight swaying motion, which is often 

 absent. Has lateral flagella, and in pure culture, as well as in the 

 animal, it gives rise to giant whips which may attain a length of 

 40-50-72 microns. 



Speculation. Spore formation not observed. 



Aniliii Dyes. Stain readily. Gram's method applicable. 



Growth. Depends upon the vitality of the organism. When 

 taken from an animal it grows rapidly. 



Plates: On glucose agar good colonies develop in 2-3 days at 37 C. 

 Show a very irregular, fibril ated border, and often give rise tongas bubbles. 

 May contain giant whips. 



Stick cultures. Develop only in the lower part of the tube. In glucose 

 agar having proper alkalinity, it develops rapidly, forming a plainly visible 

 growth along the line of inoculation; the agar is soon torn into several parts 

 by the gas that is produced. Cultures soon die out. 



Streak cultures. Develop on glucose agar only when oxygen is com- 

 pletely excluded-. It forms a white film which spreads over the surface. On 

 acid agar involution forms develop. 



Bouillon. An excellent growth develops which in 24 hours settles to 

 the bottom as a loose, flocculent sediment; the liquid above becomes clear. 



Glucose f/elatin, colored with litmus. Is liquified and acid is produced 

 the litmus is turned red. 



Oxygen requirements. Is an obligative anaerobe. Grows in 

 vacuum, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbonic acid, illuminating gas. 



Temperature. Does not grow below 25 C. Optimum temper- 

 ature about 39 C. Can withstand freezing for 24 hours. 



Behavior to Gelatin. Liquefies. 



Aerogenesis. In alkaline media gives rise to gases. Volatile 

 acids, as butyric acids, etc., are formed in artificial culture and also 

 in the body (of rabbits). 



Attenuation. Cultures left in hydrogen, or exposed to light, 

 lose their virulence. Is not attenuated when left in the dark or 

 when frequently passed through animals. Lost virulence can be 

 reconstituted by inoculation with a "mixed" culture containing 

 Proteus vulgaris. 



Immunity. Not conferred by a non- fatal inoculation, or by 

 old, weakened cultures, or by the serous exudate of the pleural 

 cavity. 



Pathogenesis. Subcutaneous injection of % c. c. of hydrogen 

 bouillon cultures kills guinea-pigs, rabbits, white rats, white mice, 

 doves, in 12-24 hours. Marked subcutaneous cedema present; 

 serous exudates in thoracic and abdominal cavities. Cover-glass 

 preparations made from the subcutaneous tissue, or serous surfaces, 

 as peritoneum, shows usually enormous numbers of bacilli, and 

 frequently giant w r hips are also present. 



