BACILLUS PROTEUS VULGARIS. 541 
Upon nutrient agar a rapidly spreading, moist, thin, 
grayish-white layer appears, and migration of the col- 
onies also occurs. Milk is coagulated, with the pro- 
duction of acid. 
The cultures in media containing albumin or gelatin 
have a disagreeable, putrefactive odor, and become alka- 
line in reaction. Growth is most luxuriant at a tem- 
perature of 24° C., but is plentiful also at 37° C. It 
is a facultative anaérobe and grows also in the presence 
of oxygen, but the proteus then loses its power of lique- 
fying gelatin. It produces indol and phenol from pep- 
tone solutions. The proteus develops fairly well in 
urine, and decomposes urea into carbonate of ammonia, 
Pathogenesis. This bacillus is pathogenic for rabbits 
and guinea-pigs when injected in large quantities into 
the circulation, into the abdominal cavity, or subcuta- 
neously, producing death of the animals with symptoms 
of poisoning. Hauser has obtained the bacillus proteus 
vulgaris from a case of purulent peritonitis, from puru- 
lent puerperal endometritis, and from a phlegmonous 
inflammation of the hand. Brunner also reports simi- 
lar infections in which this organism was found asso- 
ciated with pus cocci, and Charrin describes a case of 
pleuritis during pregnancy in which the proteus was 
present and a foul-smelling secretion was produced. 
Death in this case, which ensued without further com- 
plication, is said to have been due probably to the 
poisonous products of the proteus. 
An interesting example of pure toxemia resulting 
from the toxin of the proteus is reported by Levy: 
While conducting some experiments on this organism 
he had an opportunity of making a bacteriological ex- 
amination in the case of a man who died after a short 
