374 A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY 



epidemic diarrhoea of infants is not caused by the dysentery bacillus 

 (see p. 379). In 50 per cent, of the cases he isolated a motile 

 bacillus producing acid and gas from glucose which appears to be 

 most closely allied to the hog-cholera bacillus, differing from the 

 latter by producing alkalinity in litmus milk (without previous 

 acidity) and much indole, and by failing to produce acid and gas 

 from mannitol, arabinose, maltose, and dextrin. It does not fer- 

 ment dulcitol, saccharose, salicin and sorbite. There are two 

 variants, designated as No. 1 and No. 2. Eyre and Minett 1 

 examined the normal faeces of sixty young children, and in four 

 only isolated a bacillus allied to the Morgan bacillus. The method 

 of isolation was by means of plates of bile-salt agar containing 

 1 per cent, of mannitol and coloured with neutral red. (See also 

 Chap. XX.) 



Para-typhoid Fever 2 



The name " para-colon " bacillus was given by Gilbert in 1895 

 to races of bacilli intermediate in type between the typhoid bacillus 

 and the colon bacillus, and this designation was also applied by 

 Widal and Nobecourt to a bacillus isolated by them from an 

 abscess in the neighbourhood of the thyroid. The name " para- 

 typhoid " bacillus appears first to have been used by Archard and 

 Bensaude in 1896, and was reintroduced by Schottmiiller in 1901, 

 and would seem to be the preferable designation for those micro- 

 organisms that produce typhoidal symptoms. 



Para-typhoid fever may be defined as a disease much 

 resembling typhoid fever in its clinical aspect, which is, 

 however, caused, not by the typhoid bacillus, but by 

 organisms belonging to the para-typhoid sub-group of the 

 Gartner group of bacilli. Para-typhoid infections some- 

 times occur in epidemics, may be spread by drinking- 

 water and by " carriers," and occur in all parts of the 

 world. 



Para-typhoid bacilli are also occasionally the pathogenic 

 agents in cases of " food poisoning " with gastro- enteritis, 

 particularly B. suipestifer (or aertryck). 



1 Brit. Med. Journ., 1909, vol. i, p. 1227. 



2 See Savage, Rep. Med. Off. Loc. Gov. Board for 1COS-9, p. 316 ; 

 JBainbridge and O'Brien, Journ, of Hygiene, vol. xi, 1911, p. 68 (Bibliog,). 



