464 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVin. No. 978 



If suspensions of tubercle bacilli are injected 

 into the peritoneal cavities of tuberculous guinea- 

 pigs, there takes place a rapid disappearance of 

 the bacilli from the peritoneal fluids, as deter- 

 mined by subsequent examinations by the Ziehl- 

 Neelson method. Nine tenths of the baciUi may 

 disappear within an hour, and all but an occasional 

 bacillus within five hours. This disappearance is 

 paralleled by the appearance of atypical, non- 

 staining and granular forms. After the disap- 

 pearance numerous granules can be demonstrated 

 in the peritoneal fluids and peritoneal scrapings 

 by the Much method. Before the conclusion can 

 be drawn, however, that the disappearance of the 

 tubercle bacilli is due wholly to their destruction 

 by the peritoneal fluids, such factors as a possible 

 removal of the bacUli by the rapid formation and 

 absorption of peritoneal transudate must be ruled 

 out, as well as the possibility of a spontaneous 

 metamorphosis of the bacilli into non-staining and 

 therefore invisible forms, as described by Much. 

 A similar rapid disappearance is brought about in 

 the peritoneal cavities of tuberculous rats, tuber- 

 culous rabbits and tuberculous dogs. The mech- 

 anism of the disappearance is now under investi- 

 gation. 



The Chemistry of Anaphylactic Intoxication: 

 Benjamin White, Hoagland Laboratory, Brook- 

 lyn, N. Y. 



The study of the chemical problems involved in 

 the anaphylactic phenomenon would seem to offer 

 a promising field. If this reaction is to be con- 

 sidered as a parenteral digestion of protein, then 

 it may be possible to study the reaction in vitro. 

 The work of Vaughan on the poisonous substance 

 obtained from proteins by alkali hydrolysis, the 

 work of Biedl and Kraus and others on the action 

 of proteoses and peptones and the experiments of 

 Eosenow on the products of Pneumococcus au- 

 tolysis, appear to be closely related, and these in 

 turn bear resemblances to the results of experi- 

 ments on the anaphylatoxin produced in the test 

 tube. Recent studies on the action of the amines, 

 particularly that of B-amid-azolylethylamine, sug- 

 gests a possible analogy between the action of this 

 class of substances and the substances mentioned 

 above. 



Feptotoxin Production by the Bacillus of Con- 

 tagious Abortion in Cattle:^ John Eeichel, 

 V.M.D., and Malcolm J. Hakkins, V.M.D. 

 The English commission appointed by the Board 



of Agriculture and Fisheries to inquire into epi- 

 ^ The Mulf ord Laboratories, Glenolden, Pa. 



zootie abortion of cattle, in their report include 

 the statement ' ' apparently, however, no free tox- 

 ins are formed by the bacillus (abortus) in cul- 

 ture." The reaction in infected cattle, usually 

 appreciable by a rise of temperature, etc., in from 

 eight to eighteen hours after a subcutaneous in- 

 jection of abortin, i. e., an extract of the bacillus 

 and its products prepared as in tuberculin with 

 tubercle bacilli is generally attributed to toxins 

 of which the English commission remarks, "the 

 toxins, then, which cause the febrile symptoms 

 after inoculation are endotoxins, that is to say, 

 they are contained inside the bacilli." From this 

 it may be taken that the opinion is held that the 

 bacilli in culture form no other toxins than endo- 

 toxins. From our experiments we have drawn the 

 following conclusions: (1) The bacillus of con- 

 tagious abortion of cattle (abortus bacilli) pro- 

 duces a toxin on peptonized culture media, but not 

 on peptone-free media. (2) Thorough washing 

 win rid the baciUi grown on peptonized media of 

 the toxin. (3) The toxin is included in the alco- 

 holic precipitate of the supernatant liquid of the 

 suspension of the baciUi grown on peptonized 

 agar. (4) Sixty-five degrees centigrade for thirty 

 minutes apparently had no effect on the peptotoxin. 

 (5) Cattle must be sensitized to react to the pepto- 

 toxin. (6) Bacillus typhosus, coli communis, te- 

 tanus and pneumococcus cultures on peptonized 

 agar reveal the presence of peptotoxin, when in- 

 jected into animals sensitized to the abortus ba- 

 cillus or its products. The peptotoxins of these 

 organisms probably have much in common if they 

 are not one and the same substance, because ani- 

 mals can be sensitized with one for any of the 

 others. (7) No reactions were observed fol- 

 lowing the injections into the sensitized animals 

 of peptonized agar cultures of the diphtheria ba- 

 cillus. Staphylococcus aureus, nonhemolytic strep- 

 tococcus and hemolytic streptococcus which may 

 mean that these organisms did not produce pepto- 

 toxin or only in very small amounts. (8) Rabbits 

 developed agglutinins following the injection of 

 thoroughly washed and unwashed abortus bacilli 

 equally well. The peptotoxin injected with the 

 unwashed bacilli is not essential in the production 

 of antibodies. (9) In that the abortus bacillus 

 produces a peptotoxin in a proteid medium — and it 

 is a possibility that the peptotoxin is produced in 

 milk with the bacilli from cattle in infected herds 

 — the wholesomeness of such milk is more than 

 questionable. 



A. Paekek Hitchens, 



Secretary 



