MICROCOCCUS CANDICANS. 169 



Common Name. — Coccus of Malta fever. 



A small coccus; in fluids, especially in the incubator, it 

 not rarely forms chains. Cultures at room temperature 

 consist mostly of bacilli, ^ which are from two to four 

 times as long as they are broad. At body temperature 

 cultures of cocci again develop. Non-motile. Do not 

 stain by Gram's method. 



At 37° colonies grow slowly upon all nutrient media, 

 being white, hemispherical ; upon gelatin at room tem- 

 perature there is scarcely any growth. 



Bouillon at first becomes cloudy, then presents a floccu- 

 lent precipitate. Milk is not coagulated. Neither gas nor 

 acid is formed from sugar. There is usually an invisible 

 growth upon potato. 



In man it causes Malta fever, also in monkeys after 

 cerebral injection. Rabbits and guinea-pigs may be in- 

 fected, guinea-pigs also intraperitoneally. The serum 

 causes agglutination of the cocci. The elimination of the 

 coccus with the urine, which may continue for months, 

 is interesting. 



Micrococcus candicans (Fliigge). 



(Plate 9, iv-viil.) 



Microscopic Appearance. — Round cocci, lying singly 

 or in bunches, 1.2 ij. in diameter. Usually they present a 

 dividing line in the center (9, viii). 



Relation to Oxygen. — Grow well aerobically, and only 

 slightly in the lower parts of shake cultures. 



Requirements as to Temperature and Nutrient 

 Media. — Grow at room and incubator temperatures and 

 upon all the usual nutrient media. 



Gelatin Plates. — (a) Natural size : Round or roundish 

 colonies, after eight days at usual temperature Ijeing from 

 2 mm. to 3 mm. in diameter, moistly shining, porcelain- 

 white, slightly elevated. Upon old plates there are always 

 foiuid, besides flatly spreading colonies, those like grains 

 of sand or even conical elevations (9, v). 

 .(&) Magnified fifty times. Superficial: Round to round- 



' Thus this organism lies between the families of the coccacese and 

 bacteriaceee. 



