550 THE ANAEROBIC BACTERIA 
Products of Gro-wth. — F enuentative Pnyperties.— Henry ^ states that 
glucose, leviilose and maltose are fermented. Weinberg and Seguin^ 
find that fermentation is at best very slow and they find no evolution 
of gas in fluid media, nor in agar prepared by the method of Veillon. 
Mcintosh and Fildes^ claim that acid production is weak, but is dis- 
tinct after seven days in glucose, maltose and starch. Repeated exami- 
nations of six strains'* have failed to reveal gas production in any car- 
bohydrate. The organisms do, however, produce some acid in all 
protein media, more in those rich in protein, as gelatin and milk, less 
in peptone meat-extract broth. It would appear from these combined 
observations that B. histolyticus is not a fermentative organism, but 
an obligate proteolyte. The odor of B. histolyticus is not very pro- 
nounced during the first few days of growth, but somewhat later small 
amounts of indol and hydrogen sulphide make their appearance. A 
slow and limited evolution of gas also is observed in media free from 
carbohydrates. The volume is always small, and this observation is in 
harmony with those reported by Weinberg and Seguin and by Henry. 
Old cultures develop an intensely nauseating but not very abundant 
odor. 
Toxin.— A soluble poison, which in moderate doses will kill rabbits 
in a few minutes, is developed by B. histolyticus. The poison does not 
persist after the first two days of culture, and it fails to pass through 
Berkefeld filters at least in its full potency. Weinberg and Seguin have 
prepared an antiserum by injecting horses with this poison which will 
neutralize its eflfect to a large degree. 
Pathogenesis.— A striking feature of early growths of B. histolyticus 
is the liquefaction of muscular tissue which follows the injection of 
relatively small amounts of young cultures of the organism into 
guinea-pigs. In a comparatively few hours there is an actual softening 
and necrosis of the muscular tissue which may result in the death of 
the animal, or, in the event of its surviving, of widespread necrosis and 
sloughing of the injured part. Intravenous injections of cultures 
(0.5 to 1 cc.) into guinea-pigs lead to death in a comparatively short 
time. There is extensive congestion of the muscular tissues, hemor- 
rhagic exudation, and engorgement of the parenchymatous organs. 
The principal effect of the injected material is below the diaphragm; 
the lungs are practically intact. Peterson and HalP find that hemato- 
mas follow the injection of sterile glucose broth filtrates into guinea- 
pigs. 
Serological Reactions.— Bacilli washed free from the poisonous pro- 
ducts which they produce will induce agglutinin formation in suitable 
animals. The substance which neutralizes the poison, developed in 
horses, has only moderate potency. 
» Jour. Pathol, and Bacteriol., 1916-1917, 21, 344. 
^ Loc. cit. 
•* Medical Research Committee, Special Report No. 12, 1917. 
* Kendall, Day and Walker: Jour. Inf. Dis., 1922, 30, No. 2. 
6 Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1923, 20, 4. 
