HISTORICAL NOTES ON BEE DISEASES. 91 
Maassen, Marcu, 1910. 
Another paper! by Maassen appeared in 1910. 
At this time the content of the intestinal tract of bees taken from 
colonies affected with different brood diseases was made the subject 
of study. 
When bees were examined that were taken from colonies suffer- 
ing from “sour brood,” Maassen reports the presence of Streptococcus 
apis. This species thrives well, he says, in the intestine, and its 
power to grow upon artificial media is not lost (p. 84). Likewise, he 
reports that the spores of Bacillus alvei will develop and the organism 
grow in the intestine of adult bees. Confined bees, it is stated, 
showed the presence of these two species for weeks in the intestine. 
In the case of American foul brood, Maassen reports that the 
spores of Bacillus brandenburgiensis do not germinate in the intestine 
of the adult bee, nor do the vegetative forms multiply there. He 
reports that after a few days a noticeable decrease is to be observed 
in the number of spores present. These observations caused Maassen 
to caution those treating bee diseases against the probability of 
infection from these germ carriers. 
The paper also contains a report on the samples received for 
diagnosis. Material was received from 85 apiaries. When exam- 
ined, 66 of the samples gave evidence that disease was present. 
Forty-five are reported as American foul brood, one as a mixed 
infection of American foul brood and European foul brood, 10 as 
European foul brood, and 10 as a mixed infection of European foul 
brood and sour brood. 
Here the following points are to be noted: 
1. Maassen reports that Bacillus alvei is found in the intestine 
of adult bees taken from a colony affected with European foul brood 
and that this species multiplies in this locality. : 
2. He reports that Streptococcus apis is found in the intestine 
of bees that are taken from colonies affected with sour brood and 
that this species also multiplies in this locality. 
3. He reports that the spores of Bacillus brandenburgiensis do not 
increase in the intestine of the adult bee. 
4. These germ carriers, Maassen suggests, must not be overlooked 
in devising methods of treatment. 
' 1Maassen, Albert, March, 1910. Untersuchungen ttber die Epidemiologie der sogenannten Faulbrut 
der Bienen. Mitteilungen aus der kaiserlichen biologischen Anstalt fir Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Heft 
10, pp. 37-39. 
