192 BACTERIOLOGICAL METHODS 



cording to observations made, it would appear that the direct 

 microscopical examination of the white of the egg will give this 

 information. The yolk of the egg does not lend itself to direct 

 examination because of the fat globules (cholesterin) and proteid 

 granules present which interfere with the observation of the 

 bacteria. The procedure as carried out in the laboratories of 

 the California College of Pharmacy is to break the egg into a 

 suitable sterihzed dish, after having washed, dried and flamed the 

 egg thoroughly. The egg mass is carefully tilted and poured 

 from one portion of the shell into the other until most of the 

 white is separated from the yolk. Mix the white thoroughly 

 by means of a sterilized egg beater and examine under the com- 

 pound microscope, making the counts with the hemacytometer. 

 Fresh eggs contain bacteria in such small numbers as to make 

 counting difficult. The principal organism found in the white of 

 the egg is a coccus form, of fairly large size, having some of the 

 characters of a diplococcus combined with those of yeasts. Mul- 

 tiplication appears to be by a modified budding process. After 

 the cell has developed to maturity it sends out a second cell 

 which at first appears as a scarcely perceptible speck or protuber- 

 ance elevated above the surface. This protuberance grows 

 larger and larger until it has the dimensions of the mother cell, 

 whereupon the two cells separate. A chain of three cells is 

 not uncommon and chains of fours and even fives may be found. 

 At first these structures were believed to be proteid or perhaps 

 lecithin particles, and in fact attempts to cultivate them in arti- 

 ficial media resulted in failure. There is, however, little doubt 

 that they are micro-organisms which develop preferably in the 

 white of the egg. They apparently do not increase in large 

 numbers. The highest number recorded in cold storage eggs was 

 about 180,000,000 per cc. They appear to increase in direct 

 ratio to the age of the egg. They do not stain very readily. The 

 most satisfactory stain appears to be carbol-fuchsin, though 

 the organisms are not in the least acid fast. They do not stain 



