416 A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY 



It soon dies out in cultivation, but according to Klein 

 can be kept alive for some weeks in gelatin incubated at 

 37 C. The melted gelatin remains clear, the growth 

 forming a delicate flocculent precipitate at the bottom. 

 Preparations from cultures show long twisted chains and 

 threads of bacilli, aggregated so as to form dense networks 

 and convolutions. These chains or threads are composed 

 of bacilli placed end to end, and united by a continuation 

 of the cell- membrane. Involution forms occur. It is 

 stated to grow better in association with the M. pyogenes 

 var. aureus than alone. The organism does not seem to 

 be able to live outside the body for any length of time, 

 and is readily destroyed by desiccation, weak antiseptics, 

 and by a temperature of 60 C. acting for five minutes. 



Pathogenic action. Canon stated that he obtained this 

 bacillus from the blood in a number of cases, but many 

 other investigators have failed to find it. Klein also 

 obtained it in six cases out of forty-three examined. 

 According to Pfeiffer the bacillus is pathogenic only to 

 monkeys and rabbits. Klein, however, was unable to 

 obtain any definite effects in these animals by the injection 

 either of sputum rich in bacilli or of pure cultures. 



The influenza bacillus is met with in all uncomplicated 

 cases of influenza in the nasal and bronchial secretions, 

 often almost in pure culture, and in the bronchial tubes 

 and lung in the pneumonic complications accompanying 

 the disease. The organisms disappear with convalescence, 

 and are not met with in other diseases. Klein x appears 

 to consider that the pneumonia often complicating the 

 disease is probably directly due to the bacillus. The 

 typical influenza pneumonia is of the lobular type with a 

 cellular rather than a fibrinous exudate. True lobar 

 pneumonia, due to the S. pneumonia, may, however, 



1 " Further Report on Epidemic^ Influenza," 1889-92, Loc. Gov. 

 Board Report, 1893, p. 85. 



