THE GARTNER GROUP 371 



The Gartner or Enteritidis Group of Bacilli 



The Gartner group of bacilli, of which the type is the B. enteritidis 

 of Gartner, are bacilli morphologically resembling the B. typhosus, 

 i.e. they are pleomorphic, actively motile, multi-flagellate, non- 

 sporing, and non-Gram-staining, but culturally are intermediate 

 between B. typhosus and B. coli. Thus, like B. coli, they ferment 

 glucose with the production of gas and acid and change neutral 

 red ; like B. typhosus they do not attack lactose and do not curdle 

 milk. In litmus milk they usually first produce slight acidity, 

 followed after three to four days by a change to alkalinity, and the 

 milk ultimately becomes limpid. The fermentation reactions of 

 some members of the Gartner group are given in the Table on p. 381. 

 The organisms of the Gartner group may be divided into four sub- 

 groups : 



1. Enteritidis group. Produce acute gastro-intestinal disturbance 

 in man. The cause of epidemic meat-poisoning, e.g. the B. enteritidis 

 of Gartner. 



2. Pneumonic group. Produce pneumonic symptoms in man. 

 The cause of some outbreaks of epidemic pneumonia, e.g. B. psitta- 

 cosis. 



3. Paratyphoid group. Produce a disease resembling typhoid 

 fever in man. May also produce "food-poisoning" with gastro- 

 enteritis. Subdivisions A or a and B or /3. 



4. Group non-pathogenic to man, e.g. B. typhi murium. 



The Bacillus enteritidis 



A number of outbreaks of what has been termed " epi- 

 demic meat poisoning " have been traced to infection 

 with the B. enteritidis. (See also " Food Poisoning," 

 Chap. XXL) The disease takes the form of an acute 

 gastro- enteritis urticaria, abdominal pain, vomiting, diar- 

 rhoea, nervous symptoms and collapse occurring from 

 eight to thirty-six hours after partaking of a meat meal, 

 usually pork (sausage, pork-pie, ham), occasionally beef 

 and tinned meat. The principal outbreaks of this nature 

 have been those at Jena, in 1888, investigated by Gartner, 

 and from which he isolated the type form of the B. enteri- 



