390 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Laser’s Bacillus of Mouse-disease.* — Dr. H. Laser makes a communi- 
cation relative to the pathogenic action of the bacillus of mouse-disease 
on wether sheep. The experiments on geese, swine, and cows were 
negative, while the two sheep died. In both were found a short plump 
bacillus, not resembling at all in appearance the bacillus of mouse-disease, 
but which, like the latter, was fatal to mice. The bacillus of mouse- 
disease was not detected in either case. These results of course raised 
the question whether it would or not be dangerous to use the mouse- 
disease bacillus for killing off mice. The author thinks that the danger 
to sheep is one that may be neglected, as cultivations made from pieces 
of bread which had been soaked in bouillon cultures and placed on the 
ground were found to have become inert on the fourth day. Two ex- 
tensive experiments were carried on, one in East, the other in West 
Prussia, and the results in both cases were satisfactory, and no ill-effects 
on other animals ensued. The author concludes by asserting that the 
employment of his mouse bacillus is practicable, and only requires that 
the pieces of bread should be put right down into the holes to ensure a 
successful result. 
Parasite of the Madura Foot.'j' — M. H. Vincent describes a case of 
madura foot, a disease almost entirely confined to India, which occurred 
in a patient in Algeria. Many of the phenomena observed had some 
resemblance to those occurring in actinomycosis. From the foot, which 
had for years been getting larger from the presence of slow-growing 
tumours, exuded yellowish pus in which numerous “ grains ” about the 
size of a large pin’s head were constantly present. Microscopical ex- 
amination of these grains, which are insoluble in potash or acetic acid, 
showed, when stained with some anilin dye (methylen-blue, fuchsin) that 
they are composed of a dense and intricate network formed of a fine 
mycele. The filaments present a true branching, and hence the parasite 
belongs to the genus Streptothrix , and the author calls it S. madurse. 
The filaments are from 1 to 1 • 5 p thick, and, though they are arranged 
somewhat after the manner of Actinomyces , present no club-shaped 
appearances. Successful cultivations were made in vegetable infusions, 
the optimum temperature being 37°, though even in ordinary gelatin 
S. madurse forms along the needle track as a white deposit. The follow- 
ing medium was found to answer best : — Infusion of hay or potato, 
100 ccm. ; gelatin, 9 grm. ; glycerin, 4 grm. ; glucose, 4 grm. On 
some cultivations on potato there formed rose or red colonies after in- 
cubation at 37° for four to five weeks. The microbe is aerobic, does not 
liquefy gelatin, does not coagulate milk, but peptonizes it slowly. 
Streptothrix madurse forms spores ; these are larger than the mycele 
elements, being about 1*5 p broad and 2 p long ; these were found to 
develope at points in contact with the air, and best in hay infusion. 
Inoculation experiments on animals failed. 
There is in some respects a striking resemblance between actinomy- 
cosis and madura foot, but there are also marked differences. Thus 
treatment with potassium iodide is of great service in actinomycosis ; it 
is of no avail in madura foot. Actinomyces liquefies gelatin, S. madurse 
* Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xv. (1 894) pp. 33-6. 
f Ann. Inst. Pasteur, viii. (1894) pp. 129-51 (1 pi.). 
