CHOLERA AND CHOLERA-LIKE VIBRIOS. 



409 



way plenty of serum is available and the rabbits are apparently un- 

 harmed by the operation. 



In 1895 the use of cholera agglutinin in the differential diagnosis between 

 cholera and similar vibrios was recommended by Gruber and Durham (3) and 

 at about the same time by Pfeiff er and Kolle ( 9 ) . 



The relation of nonspecific vibrios which resembled cholera, to the latter was 

 clearly defined and the absolute specificity of the cholera vibrio demonstrated by 

 the work of Kolle and Gotschlich(4) . 



They found that many vibrios existed which morphologically and biologically 

 were indistinguishable from the real cholera organism, except by the use of a 

 specific cholera serum. Such a specific cholera serum which agglutinated cholera 

 organisms in a dilution of 1- 5,000 or 1-10,000 had no more effect upon noncholera 

 vibrios than normal serum from the same species of animal and sera prepared from 

 noncholera vibrios had as little effect upon cholera vibrios. 



Strong agglutinating cholera serum, in consequence of its richness in cholera 

 agglutinin in dilutions of 1-2,000, 1-3,000, 1-5,000, serves for differentiating 

 cholera from nonspecific vibrios. Kolle remarks that differences in the agglu- 

 tinability of individual cholera strains make little difference, as the strains most 

 refractory to this reaction will show positive results in an hour. 



Kolle and his co-.workers were unable to produce a serum with the noncholera 

 vibrios which had any more effect upon genuine cholera vibrios than normal rabbit 

 serum. He noted a great variation among the individual cholera strains in 

 morphology, motility, cholera-red production, pathogenicity and cultural charac- 

 teristics, and pointed out the unreliability of any or all of these characteristics 

 and the absolute necessity of employing the agglutination test before making a 

 diagnosis. With the exception of the old laboratory strains of Pfeiffer and 

 Hankin, which seemed to be extremely susceptible to all agglutinating cholera 

 sera, Kolle's cholera sera agglutinated the majority of cholera strains in a dilution 

 1-2,000 to 1-5,000, occasionally in higher dilutions, but in no instance did a cholera 

 strain fail to agglutinate in a dilution of at least 1 to 1,000. 



Table II. — Agglutination tests. 



Name of culture. 



c 

 o 

 o 



c 



Normal rabbit 

 serum. 



Serum Regala II. 



o 

 i 



© j d 

 cj, 1 up 



o 



o 



o 



© 

 o 



o 



O 



o 

 o 

 in 



o 

 o 



o 



o 



o 



+ 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 



-H 

 + 

 -1- 

 + 





— 



+ 

 + 





+ 



-J- 



+ 

 + 



+ 



+ ' 

 + 

 + 

 + 



+ 



+ 

 + 



+ 



+ 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 



+ 

 + 



+ 

 + 



+ 



+ 

 + 



-f 

 _1_ 



+ 

 + 

 + 



+ 

 + 

 + 

 + 



+ 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 



+ 



+ 



+ 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 



+ 

 + 

 + 



"f" 



+ 



+ 

 + 

 + 



+ 

 + 



T 



+ 

 + 

 + 



+ 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 

 + 



+ 



RegalaU. _ 







Salas _ _ 



Miraflores 



Nicolas 



David 



Bautista 

 Ramon 







- 



- 



- 



- 



- 



- 



- 



C. Robles 



















Maquio 







