PATHOGENIC BACTERIA. 3II 



nerves. General invasion of the tissues of the body seems 

 not to occur, but focal areas of pneumonia may be present. 

 Spinal puncture in the lumbar region is recommended as a 

 means of diagnosis. The fluid should be examined with the 

 microscope and by cultures. 



Flexner {loc. cit. pp. 168-185) has made use of antisera, 

 v^hich counteract the fatal effects of injections of intracellu- 

 laris. He also found that this could be effected to a less extent 

 by normal sera and other fluids. The trials of antiserum ob- 

 tained from the horse have been tried in a number of cases 

 upon human beings vi'ith apparently favorable results, and 

 Flexner and Jobling* state that while they are not finally con- 

 vinced of its value, they believe the data so far warrants a 

 wider trial. The organism was obtained by Warfield and 

 Walkerf from a case of endocarditis with general septicemia. 



Micrococcus Gonorrhoeae (Gonococcus of Neisser).— 

 Found in pus in cases of gonorrhea. The micrococci generally 

 are in pairs, occasionally in groups of four. The cocci are 

 flattened, the flattened sides facing each other, and they are 

 often compared to a pair of biscuits. The long diameter of the 

 pair of biscuit-shaped elements is about 1.25 m. The organ- 

 isms are usually found attached to the epithelial cells or inside 

 of the pus-cells; they are also found in smaller numbers floating 

 free in the fluid. They stain with ordinary aniline dyes, for 

 example, LofiSer's methylene-blue, but not by Gram's method. 



The fact (i) that the cocci, after the acute stage at least, in 

 carefully prepared specimens are always found largely inside 

 of the pus-cells, (2) that they are in pairs of biscuit-shaped 

 micrococci, (3) that they are not stained by Gram's method, 

 will serve to distinguish the gonococcus from all the other ordi- 

 nary pus-forming bacteria and from the meningococcus and M. 

 catarrhalis. There are other diplococci (pseudogonococci), 



*Journ. Exper. Med. Vol. X., igo8. p. 202. 



fBull. Ayer Lab., Univer. Penna. Hosp. No. i, Oct., 1903. 



