STUDIES OP CHOLERA. Ill 



of this laboratory and I, noted that during the height of the epidemic 

 the vibrios presented the typical morphology, were actively motile and 

 agglutinated in a high dilution of serum; while toward its close the 

 curves of the vibrios became less evident, many forms were found with 

 little or no curve, and the bacteria in general were slenderer and 

 longer; the motility diminished greatly and the movement, if present at 

 all, was very slugglish, while the agglutinatibility remained practically 

 constant. In two patients who recovered from cholera, examined at the 

 close of this epidemic^ the vibrios remained in the stools after con- 

 valescence; in one case for four or five days, while in the other they were 

 still present after ten days, when the patient left the hospital and was 

 lost sight of. The importance of this occurrence in its bearing upon the 

 spread of cholera is sufficiently evident to make comment superfluous. 

 This case recalls at once the findings of Buffer and Gotschlich, which 

 will be discussed in a later section of this report. 



The study of the bacterial variation occurring among cholera vibrios. is 

 being pursued along other lines also. A number of different strains of 

 cholera and cholera-like vibrios have been collected and a comparison is 

 being made of their pathogenicity, motility, morphological and cultural 

 characteristics, serum reactions, and ability to form toxins. The results 

 of these studies will be reported later. Up to the present time the chief 

 attention has been devoted to noting the cultural characteristics, and 

 there is evidence of appreciable differences in the manner of growth of 

 the various organisms which are being examined. 



