PATHOGENIC BACTERIA. 3IC) 



may recover, being made immune from subsequent infection 

 with this organism. 



Emmerich* has obtained a bacteriolytic enzyme by passing 

 cuhures of B. pyocyaneus three weeks old through Berk ef eld 

 filters. To this substance he has given the name "pyo- 

 cyanase," and he finds that it not only disintegrates the bacillus 

 pyocyaneus itself, but also the bacteria of cholera, diphtheria, 

 typhoid, plague, anthrax, also streptococci, staphylococci, and 

 gonococci. Tubercle bacilli and the hay bacilli are not af- 

 fected by the enzyme. The substance has been used with 

 very favorable results not only in experiment upon animals, 

 but also in human diphtheria, not only in dissolving the mem- 

 brane in the throat in these cases but in neuralizing the toxin of 

 the disease. Reports on all sides seem so far very favorable to 

 its use as a therapeutic agent. 



There appears to be a whole group of fluorescent organisms 

 of slightly different characters which closely resemble one 

 another, all classed as pyocyaneus. 



Bacillus Proteus. — A bacillus with rounded ends, varying 

 much in length, breadth 0.4 to 0.6 y.; frequently appearing as 

 short ovals like micrococci; sometimes growing out into long 

 filaments, so that it is said to be pleomorphic. Rounded in- 

 volution forms occur. It is not stained by Gram's method. 

 It is motile. Spore formation has not been observed. It is 

 aerobic and facultatively anaerobic. It grows rapidly at or- 

 dinary temperatures. This organism was originally described 

 by Hauser as three different species — Proteus vulgaris, which 

 was said to liquefy gelatin rapidly, Proteus mirahilis, which 

 liquefied gelatin slowly, and Proteus Zenkeri, which did 

 not liquefy gelatin. It seems probable that these organisms 

 were, in fact, varieties of the same species, now called Bacillus 

 proteus. To proteus vulgaris or some closely allied form has 



*-Munchner Med. Wochenschr. Nov. 5, 1907. Vol. LIV.,No. 45. Cited in 

 Journ. Am. Med. Assn. Dec. 14, 1907. 



