BACTERIUM FLUOBESCENS. 285 



with the suppurative process in combination with the 

 well-known causes of suppuration. Through its pigment 

 it colors the pus blue, bluish-green, or green. In a series 

 of cases the organism has occurred alone in connection 

 with disease processes (otitis media, pericarditis, bursitis 

 prsepatellaris), so that it may very properly be looked 

 upon as pathogenic for man, especially for children 

 (Kossel). General septic infections are but rarely caused 

 by this organism alone. Krannhals has collected some 

 such. cases (C. B. xv, 431); recently Escherich has de- 

 scribed a small pyocyaneum epidemic among infants (C. 

 B. XXV, 117). Its relation to diseases of children, where it 

 is only found in the stools, remains doubtful (Baginsky). 

 Related Varieties. — According to our conviction, it is 

 impossible to sharply separate this organism from the 

 Bacterium fluorescens. Closely related also is a disagree- 

 ably smelling organism, cultivated by Galtier from a pig 

 dead of a septic disease, and pathogenic for rabbits (C. 

 B. IV, 109). 



Sohiirmayer observed, as descendants of original cultures, forms 

 which scarcely liquefy any more, representing short rods, forming tough 

 coherent gelatin growths and a firm coverbig upon the liquefied gel- 

 atin. Many colonies in gelatin plates present marked, radiating stri- 

 ation (observed by us in Bact. fluorescens). 



Bacterium fluorescens. ^ (Fliigge.) Lehm. and Neum. 



(Plate 25.) 



Bacillus fluorescens liquefaciens. Fliigge. 



Literature. — Ruzicka (A. H. xxxiv, 148). Kurt "Wolf : Die fluo- 

 rescierenden Baoterien des Dresdner Ell- unci Leitungswassers, Zeit. f. 

 Gewasserkunde, 1898. Not accessible to us and only known to us 

 through an abstract. 



After the detailed description of the Bact. pyocyaneum 

 it is unnecessary to also describe the Bact. fluorescens in 

 detail, since we found it identical in all essential prop- 

 erties. 



1 A transitional form to the following variety occurs in an organism 

 which we obtained from A. Fischer as " termoahnlichen Bacillus. " At 

 first the gelatin remains solid, and liquefies very slowly after eight to 

 fourteen days. 



