Bacilli Resembling the Tetanus Bacillus 351 



ence there may detach the toxic molecules from their anchorage to 

 the nerve cells. 



Prophylactic Treatment. — While tetanus antitoxin is extremely 

 disappointing, in practice, for the cure of tetanus, it is most satis- 

 factory for its prevention. "An ounce of prevention is better than a 

 pound of cure," and if the surgeon would administer a prophylactic 

 injection of tetanus antitoxin in every case in which the occurrence 

 of tetanus was at all likely, the disease would rarely develop. 



Bacilli Resembling the Tetanus Bacillus 



Tavel* has called attention to a bacillus commonly found in the intestine, 

 sometimes in large numbers in the appendix in cases of appendicitis, and looked 

 upon by one of his colleagues, Fraulein Dr. von Mayer, as the probable commoni 

 cause of appendicitis. He calls it the "Pseudo-tetanus-bacillus." 



The bacillus measures 0.5 by 5-7^, is rather more slender than the tetanus 

 bacillus, and its spores are oval, situated at the end of the rod, and cause a slight 

 bulging rather pointed at the end. The bacillus is provided with not more than 

 a dozen flagella — usually only four to eight — thus dififering markedly from the 

 tetanus bacillus, which has many. The flagella are easily stained by Loffler's 

 method without the addition of acid or alkali. The organism does not stain so 

 well by Gram's method as the true tetanus bacillus. The bacillus is a pure 

 anaerobe. 



The growth in bouillon is rather more rapid than that of the tetanus bacillus. 

 It will not grow in gelatin. The growth in agar-agar is very luxuriant and 

 accompanied by the evolution of gas. Upon obliquely solidified agar-agar the 

 colonies are round, circumscribed, and often encompassed by a narrow, clear 

 zone, which is often notched. The spores are killed at 8o°C. 



The organism produced no symptoms in mice, guinea-pigs, and rabbits even 

 when 2-5 cc. of a culture were subcutaneously introduced. 



Sanfelicef and LubinskiJ have observed a bacillus in earth and meat-infusions 

 that is morphologically and culturally like the tetanus bacillus, but differs from 

 it in not possessing any pathogenic powers. 



Kruse§ has also described a bacillus much like the tetanus micro-organism that 

 grows aerobically. It is not pathogenic. 



* "Centralbl. f. Bakt.," etc., March 31, 1898, xxm. No. 13, p. 538. 



t "Zeitschrift fiir Hygiene," vol. xiv. 



t " Centralbl. f. Bakt. u. Parasitenk.," xvi, 19. 



§ Flugge, " Die Mikroorganismen," vol. 11, p. 267. 



