464 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
organisms, Bacillus U and B. W are given. The morphological and 
cultural characters of all the 12 species are described in separate 
tables. 
Excretion of Typhoid Bacilli in the Urine.* — Dr. J. Petruschky 
states that in many cases of enteric fever, typhoid bacilli may be found 
in considerable numbers in the urine. The germs are alive, and may 
amount to millions per cubic centimetre of urine. This excretion of 
living typhoid organisms may last for a week, or even be protracted into 
the convalescent stage. These observations, though extremely interest- 
ing, are merely confirmatory, as it was previously known that typhoid 
bacilli were occasionally to be found in the urine. They are, however, 
extremely important as far as regards the epidemiology and prophylaxis 
of enteric fever. 
Micro-organisms of Turned Wmes.| — MM. F. Bordas, Joulin, and 
Raczkowski isolated from wines made in Algeria and the south of 
France, two filiform bacilli, one of which is described under the name 
B. roseus vini. All the wines in which these organisms occurred have 
the microscopical appearance and chemical reactions of turned wines 
(“ vins dits tournes ”). B. roseus vini was isolated bv successive passages in 
glucose-yeast-water, and then on plates composed of glucose-yeast-water 
and 10 per cent, gelatin. On the plates it forms large thick white colonies. 
In yeast- water, with 10 per cent, glucose, it forms a thick wrinkled scum, 
which in a few days becomes rose-coloured, the liquid turning brown, 
and becoming ammoniacal. The scum is composed of filaments having 
a diameter of 0 • 6-0 * 8 /x. The filaments are mobile, are formed of seg- 
ments, are easily stained, and are ciliated. The ciliated bacilli are 
ovoid. As the scum grows old it deposits a sediment, consisting chiefly 
of spores. The bacillus turns nitrates into nitrites, does not form indol 
in pepton-bouillon, and coagulates milk, imparting to it an acid reaction. 
The effect of cultivating in yeast-water, to which glycerin, glucose, or 
tartar was added, was studied. The bacillus has no action on alcohol, 
and does not ferment saccharose. Inoculated in wine, a copious sedi- 
ment is deposited ; the glucose and glycerin are diminished, while the 
tartar and the acidity are unaffected. 
By itself this bacillus does not appear to be able to turn wine ; but 
when associated, as it usually is, with another microbe, Bacillus B, 
which destroys the tartar and also acts on the glucose and glycerin, 
wine becomes turned. 
Bacillus of Bitter Wine.J — MM. F. Bordas, Boulin, and Eaczkowski 
state that the bacillus of bitter wine possesses a terminal spore and cilia 
at one extremity. It is extremely mobile, and is cultivable in media 
containing nitrate of potash, but does not convert this salt into nitrite. 
It does not form indol in peptonised media, and it coagulates milk. It 
resists desiccation up to 100°. Its optimum temperature lies between 
25° and 37°. Inoculated in sterilised wine, the bacillus was found to 
exert considerable influence on the contained glycerin, giving rise to the 
production of acetic and butyric acids. A comparison of the tables of 
wine rendered bitter and of the control wine, shows that the former 
* Centralbl. Bakt. u. Par., l te Abt., xxiii. (1898) pp. 577-83. 
t Comptes Rendus, cxxvi. (1898) pp. 1050-3. t Tom. cit., pp. 1291-3. 
