RELATIONS TO THE DISEASE. 451 



closely resembling in character that occurring in the human 

 subject, and the same organism was obtained from the 

 organs post mortem. The other three animals recovered 

 after suffering from illness with corresponding pyrexia 

 in two cases extending over two months. The disease 

 has also been produced in the human subject, in one 

 instance by accidental inoculation with a pure culture of the 

 micrococcus. 



Rabbits, guinea-pigs and mice are insusceptible to 

 inoculation by the ordinary method. Durham, by using 

 the intracerebral method of inoculation, has, however, 

 succeeded in raising the virulence so that the organism 

 is capable of producing in guinea-pigs on intra-peritoneal 

 injection illness with sometimes a fatal result many weeks 

 afterwards. An interesting point brought out by these 

 experiments is that in the case of animals which survive 

 the micrococcus may be cultivated from the urine several 

 months after inoculation. 



Agglutinative Action of Serum. The blood serum of 

 patients suffering from Malta fever possesses the power of 

 agglutinating the micrococcus melitensis in a manner analog- 

 ous to what has been described in the case of typhoid 

 fever. This action is manifested throughout the disease, 

 and also for a considerable time after recovery. Wright 

 and Smith found it well marked a year afterwards. They 

 found that the greatest dilution which gives distinct 

 agglutinative effects varies in different cases from i : 10 

 to i : 1000. It is needless to point out that the method 

 affords a satisfactory means of diagnosis from other 

 fevers, such as typhoid a disease for which it is often 

 mistaken. 



Methods of Diagnosis. During life the best means of 

 diagnosis is supplied by the agglutinative test just described 

 (for technique vide p. 118). 



Cultures are most easily obtained from the spleen, either 

 during life or post mortem. Inoculate a number of agar 

 tubes by successive strokes and incubate at 37 C. Film 

 preparations should also be made from the spleen pulp 



