50 



OYSTERS AND DISEASE. 

 Result of examination of i batch of Whelks. 



The 5 batches of periwinkles yielded no colon-like bacilli. 



The second series of results tends to confirm those of the first. In some instances 

 there was almost a pure culture of the colon bacillus, the plate cultivations giving a 

 very characteristic odour. It will be seen from all the tables that the " colon-like " 

 bacilli isolated differ in some of their reactions. There are numerous examples of typical 

 colon-like bacilli, coagulating milk, forming indol, gas, and giving a decided acid reaction. 

 But there are several cases in which the bacilli are active, do not coagulate milk nor 

 form indol, with very slightly acid or sometimes alkaline reaction. In these cases, 

 which by their reactions approached the typhoid-like type, the serum reaction was 

 carefully applied, but in no case was a positive result obtained. This indifferent colon 

 group is of considerable interest, for it is quite possible that it might be confused with 

 true typhoid. The tables also show that the oyster is more frequently liable to the 

 presence of " colon-like organisms " than the other species of common edible shellfish 

 examined. It is difficult to say what may be the significance of the so frequent appearance 

 of this group of organisms. Dr. Klein is of opinion that the presence of the B. coli 

 in the oyster is strongly suggestive of fouling of the particular sample with material 

 of excremental origin. We are not yet prepared to go so far as this until we have 

 learnt more about the normal occurrence of this organism in the animal kingdom. 



V. — The occurrence of "Bacillus enteritidis sporogenes" in Shellfish. 

 We have recently examined samples of shellfish (oysters, mussels, cockles, and 

 periwinkles) from the Liverpool shops, and find amongst them the frequent occurrence 

 of large spore-forming anaerobic bacilli with the characteristics of Klein's B. enteritidis 

 sporogenes. The interest of this consists in the recent demonstration* by Dr. Klein, that 

 this bacillus occurs in certain cases of diarrhoea, in sewage, in manure, &c., and that 

 its presence in articles of diet may be taken as presumptive evidence of faecal contamina- 

 tion. The Medical Officer, in his last report to the Local Government Board, sums 

 up the present position when he says,f " He (Dr. Klein) has, he believes, ground for 

 regarding this bacillus as primarily derived from excrement, and for considering its 

 presence in water, earth, and the like, as a more trustworthy criterion of direct faecal 

 pollution than the presence merely of B. coli!' 



* Twenty-seventh Annual Report of the Local Government Board for 1897-98. Medical Officer's Supplement. 



t Loc. cit., p. 20. 



