52 



Scientific Proceedings (51). 



ditions but they were not so well marked. Calcareous infarcts 

 were not found in any of the kidneys. No vascular lesions were 

 ever found in the aorta or in the branches of the renal arteries. 

 On the whole the condition produced in these few animals does 

 not resemble human nephritis, but is much more similar to the 

 lesions observed in experimental uranium nephritis. 



38 (734) 



Agglutination of encapsulated bacteria. 



By J. G. Fitzgerald. 



[From the Hearst Laboratory of Pathology and Bacteriology, University 



of California.] 



During the past year a systematic study of the group of en- 

 capsulated bacteria (including Bacterium pneumonice Friedlander, 

 Bacterium rhino scleromatis v. Frisch, Bacterium ozence Abel- 

 Lowenberg, and Bacterium capsulatus mucosus Fasching) has been 

 carried on, employing for the purpose biometrical methods some- 

 what similar in character to those suggested by Winslow 1 in his 

 work on the Coccaceae. 



During the course of the investigation, immunological methods 

 have been used. At the outset, the reaction of agglutination was 

 tried. Paltauf was the first (quoted by Beham 2 ) to suggest that 

 the agglutination of encapsulated micro-organisms is inhibited 

 because the bacilli are surrounded by a slimy nucleo-protein 

 capsule. Porges 3 was able to supply experimental proof of this, 

 v. Eisler and Porges 4 then elaborated a method of removing the 

 capsule, after the application of which these bacteria were agglu- 

 tinable. 



My own work done independently of Beham has given results 

 in harmony with his. I have found that Bacterium rhinosclero- 

 matis on injection into rabbits yields a potent agglutinating serum. 



Using this serum, agglutination not only of the homologous 

 microorganism has been obtained but a positive result was found 



1 Winslow, "Systematic Relationships of s the Coccaceae," John Wiley & Sons, 

 New York, 1908. 



2 Beham, Central./. Bakt., Abt. I, Orig., Bd. 66, Heft I, p. no. 



3 Porges, Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 1905, No. 26. 



4 v. Eisler and Porges, Central, f. Bakt., Abt. 1, Orig., Bd. 42, Heft 7, 660. 



