ISOLATION OF DIPLOCOCCUS INTRACELLULARIS MENINGI- 

 TIDIS WEICHSELBAUM FROM A CASE OF CEREBRO- 

 SPINAL MENINGITIS OCCURRING IN A NATIVE 

 OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ' 



By David G. Willets and Otto Schobl 

 {Front, the Biological Laboratory, Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



It has been known for several years that specific cerebrospinal 

 meningitis is present at times in the Philippine Islands. Strong 

 and Musgrave found 12 typical cases among American soldiers 

 at the Division Hospital, Manila, during the winter of 1899 

 and 1900. Several of the patients died, and the organism 

 was isolated at necropsy. Musgrave also isolated the organism 

 from a Filipino who came to necropsy in 1903 ; this case had 

 not been diagnosed ante mortem. We are informed that Whit- 

 more likewise recovered it from a case of cerebrospinal menin- 

 gitis, and two or three additional cases have been discovered at 

 necropsy in the Philippines by other pathologists. One of us 

 (Schobl) found a Gram-negative, intracellular diplococcus in a 

 specimen of cerebrospinal fluid sent to the Bureau of Science 

 for examination. Cultures made from the fluid were negative 

 and no more material was available. A Gram-negative, intra- 

 cellular diplococcus was also found by one of us (Willets) in 

 the cerebrospinal fluid of a child presenting typical symptoms of 

 cerebrospinal meningitis; this patient came to necropsy when 

 pronounced evidences of acute miliary tuberculosis were dis- 

 closed. It is suspected that the child had an intercurrent infec- 

 tion with the meningococcus. However, the cultures made from 

 the cerebrospinal fluid obtained by lumbar puncture and at 

 necropsy were negative for diplococci; hence the case was un- 

 satisfactory. One of us (Willets) recently saw a child in the 

 Batanes Islands whose previous history suggested an attack of 

 the disease. Dr. A. G. Sison of the Philippine General Hospital 

 has seen cases in St. Paul's Hospital, Manila, and in the Philip- 

 pine General Hospital, Manila, which he believes to have been 

 specific cerebrospinal meningitis, but the organism was not iso- 

 lated either from the cerebrospinal fluid or at necropsy in any 

 one of them. 



* Read before the Ninth Annual Meeting of the Philippine Islands 

 Medical Association, held in Manila from November 4-7, 1912. 



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