MICROCOCCUS OF TRACHOMA 227 



Micrococcus haematodes. Babes isolated from the foul- 

 smelling sweat of the axilla, which leaves a red spot upon 

 the under-clothing, a micrococcus the elements of which are 

 circular or oval, and united to one another by means of a 

 transparent jelly-like red mass. Babes cultivated them at 

 incubation temperature upon coagulated white of hens* 

 eggs, on which medium they form blood-red confluent islets. 



Micrococcus of trachoma. Sattler and Michel believe 

 that the cause of the disease of the conjunctiva and cornea 

 known as trachoma, or Egyptian ophthalmia, is a diplo- 

 coccus distinguished from the gonococcus by its si nail - 

 ness and the feeble marking of its line of division. It does 

 not lose its colour under Gram's process, and does not 

 liquefy gelatine. On the plate little white nebulosities 

 develop, and in thrust-cultures a row of globules is seen 

 along the track, resembling a string of pearls, while a 

 shining white deposit, which later becomes yellow, forms on 

 the surface. A grey coating develops upon agar, and a 

 white ribbon-like stripe upon blood-serum. Experimental 

 transmission to the human conjunctiva produces a typical 

 trachoma. 



Diplococcus of acute pemphigus. Demme found in the 

 vesicles of pemphigus cocci arranged in pairs, which lie 

 together in dense masses. The micro-organism seems to 

 be pathogenic, since, when pure cultures are transmitted to 

 guinea-pigs, inflammatory nuclei form in the lungs, with 

 emaciation ; and injection into the blood produces similar 

 phenomena. The diplococcus only grows at incubation 

 temperature, and is best cultivated upon agar. Bound 

 milk-white colonies form on the plate, sending out lateral 

 processes towards the surface and in a radial direction, 

 which cause the islets to show irregular prominences. The 

 appearance of superficial cultures on agar is similar. On 

 serum and potatoes growth is very slow. 



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