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The Toxin of the Bacillus Enteritidis of Gärtner

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

E. P. Cathcart
E. P. Cathcart
Affiliation:
(From the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.)
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1. Cultures of Gärtner's bacillus grown on broth do not excrete any large amount of toxin into the fluid medium.

2. Suspension in broth made from ordinary agar cultures and killed by means of heat (30 mins. at 60°C.) are fairly toxic.

3. The most toxic preparations were obtained by autolysis of the bacilli, especially in the presence of toluol.

4. Cultures grown on agar and killed by means of chloroform vapour lose their toxicity to a considerable extent.

5. Autolysis takes place best in the presence of distilled water or of normal saline.

6. Autolysed material sterilised by heat is more toxic than the filtrate obtained from the same digest.

7. Shaking the bottles during the process of autolysis increases the yield of toxic substances.

8. Gärtner toxin withstands heating to 100°C. for 30 mins.

9. Paratyphoid B. bacillus cultures on autolysis yield a filtrate quite as toxic as those from the Gärtner bacillus itself.

10. Paratyphoid toxin is also heat resistant (100° for 30 mins.).

11. A colon bacillus gave a toxin which was fatal to mice. It was not heat resistant.

12. Feeding experiments with Gärtner-infected meat, both cooked and uncooked, proved successful.

13. So far as the present experiments go the connection between virulence and toxicity does not appear to be very definite.

14. The Gärtner bacillus contains a toxin of the endotoxin type as is shown in comparing results 1 and 3. This toxin gives rise to very definite clinical symptoms of which the gluing together of the eyelids and the prolonged narcosis before death are the most notable. The post-mortem signs have much in common with those arising from other intestinal intoxications.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , April 1906 , pp. 112 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1906

References

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