ANAEROBES IN WOUNDS 523 



B. enteritidis sporogenes. Klein * isolated this organism from 

 an outbreak of diarrhoea. The author 2 subsequently showed 

 that it is an ubiquitous organism. Morphologically and in its 

 cultural and pathogenic characters it has many resemblances to 

 B. perfringens. Kecent work indicates that Klein's cultures were 

 not pure, but were probably a mixture of B. perfringens or of a 

 butyric acid form with B. sporogenes. Klein's B. cadaveris sporo- 

 genes is probably identical with B. putrificus. 



Other Anaerobes present in Wounds 



Goadby describes the B. necrosis as being frequently present. 

 It is a long, non-motile, Gram -negative, slender and often pointed 

 anaerobic bacillus. No spores are formed. Meat undergoes 

 peptonisation. Neither gas. acid nor clot are formed in milk. 

 The colonies are diffuse and woolly with long tangled filament 

 formation. Grows with difficulty. It seems to be an ill-defined 

 species. 



Fleming describes Bacillus X, Bacillus Y, " Wisp " Bacillus and 

 an anaerobic streptococcus as frequent. Bacillus X is the B. 

 anaerobicus alkaligenes (De Bono) and is long, non-motile, Gram- 

 positive and spores freely, the spores being large, ovoid and sub- 

 terminal. There is much gas production in glucose media. Milk 

 is not clotted but is peptonised in three to four days. Causes much 

 local osdema at site of inoculation in a guinea-pig. Bacillus Y 

 is a long, slender, Gram-negative bacillus, feebly motile with a 

 sub-terminal ovoid spore. Produces less gas than Bacillus X, 

 liquefies albuminous media, gives rise to a putrid odour and is 

 non-pathogenic to the guinea-pig. The " Wisp " Bacillus is 

 probably B. ramosus. It is a small Gram-positive, non-motile 

 diphtheroid bacillus growing well, producing no gas, clotting 

 milk, with acid production in three to four days. It is markedly 

 pyogenic. 



The anaerobic streptococcus formed long chains in culture, 

 did not redden neutral-red egg medium, and did not seem to 

 ferment any of the sugars. Fleming also notes the occasional 

 presence of an anaerobic influenza-like bacillus [? B. fragilis 

 (Veillon)]. It is a very small Gram-negative bacillus growing well 



1 Reps. Med. Off. Loc. Gov. Board, 1895-96 and 1897-98. 



2 Trans. Jenner Inst. Prev. Med., vol. ii, 1899, p. 70. 



