Abstract
Bacillus metaflavus Castellani. This bacillus I have grown several times from scrapings of the skin of the axillary and pubic regions. It is a most peculiar organism, and it is very doubtful whether it is a bacillus at all; it is gram-negative.
In preparations from agar cultures the organism appears as a long straight, or more often curved, large-sized bacillus; in preparations made from glucose agar cultures 48 hours old globular bodies, cryptococcus-like, 3-7 microns in diameter, are seen in addition to short, thick, bacillary forms. The growth on agar and glucose agar is of a bright yellow color, the surface of the growth may be smooth and shiny or may be crinkled. In stained preparations the organism at times appears as a diplo-bacillus with a large capsule.
Bacillus flavoides Castellani. This bacillus has been isolated by me from scrapings of the skin of the axillary and pubic regions. It is Gram-negative. It grows well on all ordinary media, it does not produce gas in any sugar. The growth on glucose agar is yellow, but after repeated transplanting the power of producing pigment is almost lost. It is easily differentiated from B. metaflavus as in preparations from glucose agar cultures no cryptococcus-like bodies are found in addition of the bacillary forms.
Bacillus(?) multiformis Castellani. This is a most peculiar organism isolated from scrapings of human skin. It is gram negative, not acid fast, is easily stained by the ordinary anyline dyes. The organism may take the most different morphological appearances, especially in hanging-drop cultures; in the same preparation globular cryptococcus-like bodies (2-5-7 microns in diameter) may be present, in addition to thick bacillary forms and most peculiar elongated sinuous forms. The classification is difficult and the possibility of its being a true cryptococcus cannot be discarded, although against it there is the fact that the organism is gram negative and the dimensions are smaller than in most cryptococci and moreover many bacillus-like forms are present.
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