BACILLUS TVBERCVLOSL'i AND BACILLUS LEPR.E 505 
probable that the tubercle bacilli of cold-blooded animals (ichthic 
tubercle bacilli)— fish, turtles, snakes, and the "Blindschleiche" bacillus 
bclony; to this ijroup. 
The Smegma Bacillus.— Alvarez and Tarbel' found an organism 
on the external j5;enitalia and around the anus which is very similar 
morphologically and in staining reaction to the tubercle bacillus. 
Moeller- and others have confirmed this observation. The organism 
was called the smegma bacillus. It has been regarded by many as 
identical with a bacillus described in 1(S84 by Lustgarten as the causa- 
tive organism of syphilis. 
The cultivation of both of these organisms in artificial media is 
difficult, and it is not definitely proved that it has been accomplished. 
The practical importance of these organisms lies in the fact that 
they may be confused with the tubercle bacillus in the examination 
of urine or feces for the latter. The organisms are not pathogenic 
for guinea-pigs and a distinction between the smegma bacillus and 
the tubercle bacillus may be afl'ected in this way. 
The Nasal Secretion Bacillus.— Karlinski'' isolated an organism 
from the nasal secretion of a man which possessed morphological and 
staining peculiarities very similar to those of the tubercle bacillus. 
Similar or identical organisms have been isolated from tonsillar 
exudates, from a few cases of pulmonary gangrene and from sputum. 
The organism grows readily on ordinary media. It presents no 
definite peculiarities of staining which would distinguish it from the 
tubercle bacillus, and its occasional occurrence in the nasal and oral 
secretions necessitates great care in distinguishing it from that 
organism. 
The organism is non-pathogenic for guinea-pigs and in suspicious 
cases a differentiation between the nasal secretion bacillus and the 
tubercle bacillus can be made through this animal. 
Bacillus Phlei. — Synonyms. — 6'm.w bacillus, Timothy (jrass bacillus, 
Mist baciUus. 
Historical.— The most important investigations of the saprophytic 
acid-fast bacilli are those of Moeller.'* The members of this group, 
designated as Grass bacillus I and II, from hay infusions, and the 
Mist bacillus from manure, are similar in their general staining and 
cultural reactions— so similar that the slight differences noticed are 
of insufficient magnitude to warrant their separation into distinct 
types. Vov the present these are best regarded as variants of the 
same organism. 
Morphology.— Bacillus phlei resembles the tubercle bacillus (human 
type) in its morphological characters, except that it is somewhat 
> Arch. d. phys. norm, et path., 1885, No. 7. 
2 Centralbl. f. Bakteriol., orig., 1902, 31, 278. 
3 Ibid. 1901, 29, 521. 
* Deutsch. med. Wchnschr., 1898, 24, .376; Centralbl. f. Bakteriol., 1899, 26, .369; 
1901, 30, 513. 
