URINARY TESTS 



1935 



number of other substances in addition to glucose — for instance, by lactose, 

 galactose, maltose — and the detection of such substances by chemical proce- 

 dures is long and requires much practice. Castellani and Taylor's mycological 

 method will often be found simpler and easier. Castellani and Taylor thought 

 that, just as various carbohydrates and other carbon compounds are used in 

 the identification of certain bacteria and higher fungi, the reverse process 

 might also be carried out — viz., bacteria and higher fungi might be used for 

 the detection and identification of certain chemical substances. For many 

 years ordinary baker's yeast (so-called German yeast) has been, of course, used 

 to detect glucose, but this is the only sugar for which a purely mycological 

 method has been used in pathological work, and, as a matter of fact, it is 

 an unscientific method, as ordinary baker's yeast very often ferments galactose, 

 maltose, saccharose, and other sugars, in addition to glucose. If a urine, there- 

 fore, is fermented by baker's yeast, this does not mean with certainty that it 

 contains glucose, as stated in so many textbooks. Castellani and Taylor 

 determine whether a substance is or is not a certain carbohydrate by testing 

 on it whenever possible the action of two germs known to be identical in all 

 their biochemical reactions, except on that particular carbohydrate. For 

 instance, in order to see whether a certain chemical substance reducing Fehling 

 is maltose or not, the substance is tested with two germs which are known to be 

 identical in all their biochemical reactions, except on maltose, such as Monilia 

 krusei Castellani and Monilia pinoyi Castellani. The procedure to detect, for 

 instance, maltose in the urine is as follows : The urine is collected aseptically, or, 

 if this is not feasible, is distributed in sterile tubes (each containing a small 

 fermentation tube) as soon as passed, and then sterilized in Koch's stove for 

 thirty minutes on two or three consecutive days. It should never be auto- 

 claved, as autoclaving may alter the composition of the sugars and other 

 carbohydrates present. Two tubes of the aseptic urine to which one-third or 

 the same amount of sterile, sugar-free, peptone water has been added (to 

 facilitate an abundant development of the organisms) are inoculated — tube 

 No. I with Monilia krusei and tube No. 2 with Monilia pinoyi. The two tubes 

 are incubated at 35° C. for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and then examined. 

 If No. I does not contain gas, while No. 2 contains gas, the urine, according to 

 all probability, contains maltose. 



To understand and properly carry out the method one must have, of course, 

 an exact knowledge of the biochemical reactions of a certain number of bacteria 

 and higher fungi, which can be found at pp. 944 and 1082. The working and 

 results of the method are seen at a glance in the following mycological 

 formulas : — 



Urine Fehling-reducing. 



I. 

 2. 



4- 



6. 



Monilia balcanica Castellani 

 Monilia balcanica Castellani 

 Monilia krusei Castellani . . 

 Monilia krusei Castellani . . 

 Monilia pinoyi Castellani . . 

 Monilia pinoyi Castellani . . 

 Monilia metalondinensis Castellani 

 Monilia metalondinensis Castellani 

 Bacillus coli senstl stricto Escherich 

 Bacillus paratyphosus B Shottmiiller 

 Bacillus coli Escherich 

 Bacillus paratyphosus B Shottmiiller 



Gas =glucose. 



Gas j 



v=galactose. 



Urine not Fehling-reducing. 



3- 



2. 



I. 



Monilia pinoyi Castellani . . 



Monilia rhoi Castellani 



Bacillus coli Escherich 



Bacillus pseudocoli Castellani 



B. paratyphosus B Shottmiiller var. M. 



B. paratyphosus A Shottmiiller 



