Streptococcus Pyogenes 



317 



is Staphylococcus citreus of Passat.* As it is not common and is 

 doubtfully pathogenic, it is of much less importance than the pre- 

 viously described organisms. 



Streptococcus Pyogenes (Rosenbach) 



General Characteristics. — The streptococcus is a non-motile, non-flagel- 

 late, non-sporogenous, non-liquefying, non-chromogenic, aerobic and optionally 

 anaerobic, spheric organism, infections for man and the lower animals. It 

 stains by ordinary methods and by Gram's method. 



In 1880 Pasteurf first cultivated streptococci from the blood of 

 patients suffering from puerperal fever. In 1881 Ogstonf called 

 attention to the fact that two distinct kinds of cocci were to be 

 found in pus, mentioning both staphylococci and streptococci. The 



Fig. 105. — Streptococcus pyogenes, from the pus taken from an abscess. 

 X 1000 (Frankel and Pfeiffer). 



beginning of real knowledge of the streptococci, however, dates 

 from the time of their isolation and cultivation by Fehleisen§ and 

 by Rosenbach.il 



Distribution.- — Streptococci are parasitic pathogenic organisms, 

 not known apart from human and animal hosts. They seem to 

 occur not infrequently, in health, upon the surface of the body, in 

 its various openings and in the aUmentary canal. Such organisms 

 are to be regarded as potentially virulent and pathogenic in all cases. 



They are the primary infecting agents in many inflammatory, 



* "Untersuchungen iiber die Aetiologie der eitrigen Phlegmone des Menschen," 

 Berlin, 1885, p. 9. 



t Compt.-rendu. de la societe de biologie de Paris, 1880, xc, p. 1035. 



t "Brit. Med. Jour.," March, 1881, p. 369. 



§ "Aetiologie des Erysipels," Berlin, Fischer, 1883. 



II "Mikroorganismen bei Wundinfektionskrankheiten des Menschen," 1884, 

 p. 22. 



