CHAPTER XII 



DIPHTHERIA 



Bacillus Diphtheria (Klebs-Loffler) 



Synonyms. — -Bacterium diphtheriae; Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Klebs- 

 LofiBer bacillus. 



General Characteristics. — A non-motile, non-flagellate, non-sporogenous, 

 non-cbromogenic, non-aerogenic, non-liquefying, aerobic, purely parasitic, 

 pathogenic, toxicogenic bacSlus, cultivable upon the ordinary culture media, 

 staining by the ordinary methods and by Gram's method. 



In 1883 Klebs* demonstrated the presence of a bacillus in the 

 pseudo-membranes upon the fauces of patients suffering from 

 diphtheria, but it was not until 1884 that Lofflerf succeeded in 

 isolating and cultivating it. The organism is now known by both 

 their names, and called the Klebs-Loffler bacillus. 



Morphology.---The bacillus is about the length of the tubercle 

 bacillus (1.5-6.5 m), but about twice its diameter (0.4-1.0 ;u), hasa 

 slight curve similar to that which characterizes the tubercle bacillus, 



J^/ 



d' 



i^> 



Fig. 148. — Westbrook's types of Bacillus diphtheria: a, c, d, Granular types; 

 a'-, c', d', barred types; a^, c^, d', solid types. X 1500. 



and has rounded and usually clubbed ends. It does not form 

 chains, though two, three, and rarely four individuals may be found 

 conjoined; usually the individuals are separate from one another. 

 The bacillus has no flagella, it is non-motile, and does not form spores. 



* "Verhandlungen des Congresses ftir innere Med.," 1883. 

 t "Mittheilungen aus dem kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamte," 2. 

 428 



