CHAPTER XXXIV 

 THE SMEGMA BACILLUS AND THE BACILLUS OF LEPROSY 



BACILLUS SMEGMATIS 



In 1884, Lustgarten ' announced that he had succeeded in demon- 

 strating, in a number of syphilitic lesions, a characteristic bacillus, 

 which he declared to be the etiological factor in the disease. The great 

 importance of the subject of Lustgarten's communication caused nu- 

 merous investigators to take up the study of the microorganisms found 

 upon the genitals of normal and diseased individuals. As a result of 

 these researches the presence of the Lustgarten bacilli upon the genitals 

 of many syphilitics was confirmed; but at the same time bacilli, which 

 in all essential particulars were identical with them, were found in the 

 secretions about the genital organs and anus of many normal persons. 

 The first to throw doubt upon the etiological significance of Lustgarten's 

 bacillus, and to describe in detail the microorganism now recognized as 

 Bacillus smegmatis, were Alvarez and Tavel.^ Similar studies were 

 made soon afterward by Klemperer,^ Bitter,* and others. 



The smegma bacilli are now known to occur as harmless sapro- 

 phytes in the preputial secretions of the male, about the external genital 

 organs of the female, and within the folds of thighs and buttocks. They 

 are usually found, in these situations, in clumps upon the mucous mem- 

 brane, and occasionally in the superficial layers of the epithelium, intra- 

 and extra-cellularly. 



Morphology. — The smegma bacilli are very similar to tubercle bacilli, 

 but show greater variations in size and appearance than do the latter. 

 In length the individuals may vary from two to seven micra. They 

 are usually straight or sHghtly curved, but according to Alvarez and 

 Tavel may show great polymorphism, including short comma-like forms, 

 and occasional S-shaped spiral forms. 



1 Lustgarten, Wien. med. Woch., 47, 1884. 



2 Alvarez et Tavel, Arch. d. physiol. norm, et path., Oct., 1885. 

 ' Klemperer, Deut. med. Woch., xi, 1885. 



* Bitter, Virchow's Arch., ciii. 



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