BACTERIOLOGY IN A NUTSHELL. 



Protective 

 Agents, 



Health of 

 Animals. 



Duration of 

 Treatment. 



or vaccination. In the diseases typhoid fever, 



cholera, plague and dysentery the protective 



agents formed are known as "bactericidal 

 amboceptors." 



ANTIMENINGITIS SERUM. 



Method of Preparation: 

 "The serum used in the treatment of cerebro 

 spinal meningitis" is prepared from horses 

 which are first carefully examined to ascertain 

 that they are in good health. They are then 

 treated by injections of killed meningococci 

 alternated with injections of cultures of men- 

 ingococci which have undergone autolysis.* 

 The injections are given alternately every few 

 days. After a few weeks the killed meningo- 

 cocci are replaced by living organisms the num- 

 ber of which is steadily increased. The injec- 

 tions are given as before, alternately with 

 autolized cultures." 



These injections are kept up for about six 

 months (in some cases for a greater period), 

 after which the serum of the horse is tested. 

 If it shows bacteriotropic power in a dilu- 

 tion of I to 5,000 it is considered to be suf- 

 ficiently strong to be of value, for therapeutic 



* Autolysis is obtained by pouring from ten (10) 

 to twenty (20) c. c. of sterile normal saline over the 

 surface of a twenty-four hour culture of the men- 

 ingococci. The flask is gently moved from side to 

 side until the cultures are partly separated from the 

 media. The flask is then' returned to the thermostat 

 for another twenty-four hours. 

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