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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 978 



the normal numerical relationships and the advent 

 of new types of bacteria, not observed in healthy 

 men. The most evident change was the relative 

 increase in certain normal types such as B. iifidus, 

 B. welchii and the micrococci. The cocci were 

 always increased during the acute attack. Other 

 changes were not constant. About 800 bacterial 

 strains were isolated by plate cultures of feces 

 and of intestinal juice obtained through the Ein- 

 horn duodenal tube, and these were subjected to 

 agglutination tests with serum from pellagrins at 

 Peoria, Kankakee and Chicago, 111., and Spartan- 

 burg, S. C. One of the bacterial strains is com- 

 pletely agglutinated by the serum of 81 of 109 

 cases of pellagra (74.3 per cent.), and by 11 of 

 45 control cases believed to be free from the dis- 

 ease. Similar organisms have been found in the 

 duodenal juice in a few others. The work is being 

 continued. 

 A Study of Diarrhea in Infants: A. W. Steeet, 



Brown University. 



This work is a study of the rapid diagnosis of 

 dysentery from the stools of infected infants. It 

 consists of inoculation in special broth tubes from 

 the swabs of the stools, and subsequent isolation 

 of the organism believed to be the cause of diar- 

 rhea. We used litmus-laetose-agar and Endo 

 'plates and transferred the characteristic growth 

 to other tubes to show cultural characters. In 

 our work we found Kussel's medium particularly 

 good for differentiation of the group, and litmus- 

 milk good for differentiation of the two main types. 

 We also used lactose-peptone bile, saccharose and 

 dextrose broth, gelatine, peptone and mannite-lit- 

 mus semi-solid medium. The incubations were all 

 at 37° C. except gelatine, which was at 20° C, but 

 for varying lengths of time. Generally the incu- 

 bations were for eighteen hours. Not all the cases 

 were sent to be diagnosed — only the most severe 

 and those reported to the nurses by the physicians. 

 The agglutination test, which is recognized as the 

 most conclusive, was not regularly tried, because 

 of the fact that no good serum was immediately 

 procurable. Agglutination occurs, however, in 

 dilutions of 1:200 and 1: 500. Of the eases sent 

 in, which numbered 47, seven showed reactions of 

 those of the dysentery group. They produced acid 

 in litmus milk, and so are of the Flexner type. 

 Many showed reactions in culture tubes very sim- 

 ilar to the control tubes, but these failed to check 

 up in one tube or another. So that we are able 

 to conclude that the method of rapid isolation is 

 practical, as is shown in seven of forty-seven cases, 

 or 14.89 per cent. 



Bacteriology and Control of Acute Infections in 

 Laboratory Animals: N. S. Perry, Detroit, 

 Michigan. 



Diseases in Epidemic Form Studied: An infec- 

 tion in rabbits, dogs, guinea-pigs and monkeys due 

 to the B. hronchisepticus, the microorganism which 

 has been found to be the cause of canine dis- 

 temper and an infection among rabbits due to the 

 bacillus of rabbit septicemia. Study of Organ- 

 isms Resembling the B. hronchisepticus: During 

 the course of the studies on the epidemic which 

 raged among the several animals ten different 

 organisms were encountered which resembled the 

 B. hronchisepticus somewhat in their morphology, 

 their early growth on agar and their behavior to- 

 ward Gram's stain. A careful study of these 

 organisms showed them to be connected with the 

 epidemic only in the capacity of secondary in- 

 vaders. Primary Infection: The primary infec- 

 tion was found to be due to the B. hronchisepticus. 

 Agglutination tests showed the B. hronchisepticus 

 to be absolutely distinct from any of these other 

 organisms. Control of Epidemics: The epidemics 

 were controlled by isolation, antisepsis and the 

 use of prophylactic injection of vaccines made 

 from the specific microorganisms. Epidemic due 

 to the Bacillus of Babbit Septicemia: After the 

 epidemic due to the B. hronchisepticus was under 

 control, an epidemic broke out among the rabbits, 

 due to the bacillus of rabbit septicemia. This 

 epidemic proved very fatal before it could be eon- 

 trolled. The same methods of control were carried 

 out as before. Value of the Protective Inocula- 

 tion : Although all animals can not be saved by 

 means of the prophylactic injection, control ex- 

 periments have proved that a large majority are 

 protected. 



The Lesions produced hy Intra-hronchial Insuffla- 

 tion of B. prodigiosus: Martha Wollstein, 

 M.D., and S. J. Meltzee, M.D. 

 We inoculated broth cultures of B. prodigiosus 

 into the lungs by means of intra-bronehial insuffla- 

 tion, which consists of the introduction of a tube 

 through the mouth, larynx and trachea into a 

 bronchus, and the injection of the fluid culture 

 through the tube. Doses of 5 c.c. to 15 c.c. 

 of a twenty-four-hour broth culture injected 

 into the lungs of dogs were uniformly fatal in six 

 hours to three days, the great majority of animals 

 dying within twenty-four hours. It was not until 

 the dose was reduced to one cubic centimeter that 

 three out of five dogs survived until the fourth 

 day. The entrance of B. prodigiosus into the 

 blood stream followed intra-bronchial insufflation 



