CHOLERA AND CHOLERA-LIKE VIBRIOS ENCOUNTERED 

 IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



By Allan J. McLaughlin ' and Eugene R. Whitmore.- 

 (From the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science, and tlie Bureau of Health, 



Manila. /'. I.) 



This paper is presented with the idea of elucidating some questions 

 which arose in connection with the routine examination for cholera vibrios 

 in the stools from suspected cholera cases. 



The primary questions in the study were: (1) Whether any "cholera- 

 like" vibrios in the Philippines might agglutinate in a low dilution 

 of a specific anticholera serum and thus lead to error in the ordinary 

 routine agglutination tests performed for the purpose of ascertaining 

 the presence of cholera vibrios in the stools of cholera suspects or 

 "carriers ;" ( 2 ) whether any cholera vibrios lose their morphology or 

 agglutinability under any conditions, but especially in mixed cultures 

 sent in from the provinces for diagnosis; (3) whether any vibrios of 

 the El Tor type could be discovered in the Philippines. As the work 

 progressed two other questions arose: (4) Whether any of the "cholera- 

 like" vibrios which do not agglutinate with a specific anticholera serum 

 can under any conditions be made to acquire such agglutinability; (5) 

 whether Dieudonne's medium is satisfactory for the isolation of cholera 

 vibrios from the stools, and if so, whether it can be used to differentiate 

 "cholera-like" vibrios from true cholera vibrios. Finally, the question 

 (6) as to whether the hog might act as a "cholera carrier*" in the Phil- 

 ippines, was investigated. . 



The work is not completed, but owing to the departure of both of 

 us from the Philippines it has seemed advisable to publish at the 

 present time what has been accomplished in the study. 



We selected for the work a series of vibrios isolated by various 

 members of the staff and ourselves from specimens of faeces received 

 at the laboratory during the summer and autumn of f909 and first 



1 Passed assistant surgeon, United States Public Health and Marine-Hospital 

 Service, Assistant Director of Health, Manila. 



2 Major, Medical Corps, United States Army; detailed to Biological Laboratory, 

 Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I. 



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