A New Strain of the Metadysentery Bacilli.

Abstract

Some years ago I introduced the following classification of the dysentery bacilli: 1. Lactose not fermented, mannitol not fermented, Bacillus dysenteriae Shiga-Kruse. 2. Lactose not fermented, mannitol fermented (no gas), Bacillus paradysenteriae Collins, with its principal varieties: variety Flexneri, variety Hissi-Russelli. 3. Lactose fermented (no gas), mannitol fermented (no gas) or not fermented, Metadysentery group of bacilli. The Metadysentery group may be subdivided as I have shown in a previous publication 1 into 2 subgroups: Bacillus ceylonensis A subgroup; Bacillus ceylonensis B subgroup.

The Metadysentery bacilli of the B. ceylonensis A type produce acid in lactose very slowly, indol is not produced or only in very small amount, milk is clotted very slowly. The metadysentery organisms of the Bacillus ceylonensis B type produce acid in lactose rapidly and clot milk fairly quickly; indol is produced.

Recently from a case of acute dysenteric colitis, I have isolated a strain of metadysentery bacillus which is culturally and bio-chemically completely identical with Bacillus ceylonensis A, but it differs from organism was agglutinated by the patient's blood, but was not agglutinated by any dysentery, paradysentery, or metadysentery serum except in a dilution of 1 to 20: it does not absorb the agglutinins of any of the dysentery, paradysentery and metadysentery sera tried. For purposes of reference I propose calling it B. ceylonensis A, strain S, the name of the patient from whom it was recovered beginning with S.