CHAPTER XXVIII 

 TYPHOID FEVER 



Bacillus Typhosus (Eberth-Gaffky) 



Synonyms. — Bacterium typhosus; Bacillus typhi abdominalis. 



General Characteristics. — A motile, flagellated, non-sporogenous, non-lique- 

 fying, non-chromogenic, non-aerogenic, aerobic, and optionally anaerobic, 

 pathogenic bacillus, staining by ordinary methods, but not by Gram's method, 

 not forming indol, not forming acids from sugars, nor coagulating milk. 



Typhoid fever, "typhus abdominalis," enteric fever, "la fievre 

 typhique," is a disease so well known and of such universal distribu- 

 tion, that no introductory remarks concerning it are necessary. 



The bacillus of typhoid fever (Bacillus typhosus) was discovered 

 in 1880 by Eberth* and Koch,t and was first secured in pure culture 

 from the spleen and lymphatic glands four years later by Gaffky.f 



Fig. 254. — Bacillus typhosus, from twenty-four-hour culture on agar (From 

 Hiss and Zinsser, "Text-book of Bacteriology," D. Appleton & Co., pub- 

 lishers). 



Distribution.^ — The typhoid bacillus is rarely found in nature apart 

 from the human beings that are suffering from typhoid fever or 

 have suffered from it, and when it is otherwise encountered, it 

 can in almost all cases be traced to them. Leaving the human body 

 in the fasces and urine, it naturally finds its way to the soil and to the 

 water. As a saprophyte it appears to survive but a short time, 

 though just how long wiU depend upon its numbers and the nature of 



* " Virchow's Archiv," 1881 and 1883. 



t " Mittheilungen aus dem kaiserl. Gesundheitsamte," i, 45. 



t Ibid., 2. 



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