The differentiation of Bacillus diphtheriae, Bacillus xerosis, and Bacillus pseudo-diphtheriae, by fermentation tests in the serum-water media of HSS / by Arnold Knapp.

  • Knapp, Arnold Herman, 1869-1956
Date:
[1904]
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Credit: The differentiation of Bacillus diphtheriae, Bacillus xerosis, and Bacillus pseudo-diphtheriae, by fermentation tests in the serum-water media of HSS / by Arnold Knapp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    2-1. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF BACILLUS DIPHTHERIA, BACILLUS XEROSIS, AND BACILLUS PSEUDO-DIPHTHERIA, BY FERMENTATION TESTS IN THE SERUM-WATER MEDIA OF HISS.* Arnold Knapp, M.D. (^Professor of Ophthalmology., College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York.) {From the Department of Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York.) The differentiation of the true diphtheria bacillus from bacilli which closely resemble it except in virulence has been the subject of considerable study in recent years on account of its importance from a clinical and biological standpoint. These similar bacilli are : I. The xerosis bacillus, which was first described by Kutschbert and Neisser^ in 1883. It has since become recognized as an almost constant inhabitant of the conjunc- tiva in health and disease. Schanz,^ Pes,^ Peters,* and others regard the Bacillus xerosis and Bacillus diphtheriae as identical, the xerosis bacillus being a non-virulent variety of Bacillus diphtheriae. Axenfeld ^ and Franke ^ are of an opposite opinion. II. The pseudo-diphtheria bacillus, which was first described by Hoffmann-Wellenhof' and by Loeffler ^ in 1887. It was found in the throats of non-diphtheritic subjects, and resembled the diphtheria bacillus, but was non-virulent. Roux and Yersin ^ regarded it as a non-virulent diphtheria bacillus. Many laborious investigations have shown some points of dissimilarity in certain cultures of these organisms, in the morphology, the reaction to special stains, acid production, and growth on various media. These differences are, how- ever, not constant, so that at present it is generally accepted that these bacteria cannot, with certainty, be distinguished morphologically or culturally from one another. Received for publication Aug. 14, 1904.
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