Failure to Confirm Rosenow's Work on Encephalitis in its Relation to Green Streptococcus. ∗

Abstract

The writer visited the laboratory of Dr. E. C. Rosenow in Rochester, Minnesota, in June, 1929, to observe the work of this investigator on epidemic encephalitis and poliomyelitis. Rosenow very kindly demonstrated to me his methods and technique with material taken from cases of epidemic encephalitis which had come to the Mayo clinic. The writer frankly expressed his skepticism of the rôle of the green streptococcus in epidemic encephalitis and the rather large group of diseases which Rosenow regards as allied conditions. (It should be recalled that Rosenow regards a green streptococcus as etiologically related to a group of 12 or more disease conditions among which are epidemic encephalitis, poliomyelitis, spasmodic torticolis, epidemic hiccup, ulcerative colitis, gastric ulcer, arthritis deformans, rheumatic fever, epidemic influenza, infectious arrythmia, chorea, pulmonary embolism, etc.).

Rosenow was able to demonstrate to me that one could take swabs from the tonsils and nasopharynx of encephalitis cases, wash these swabs in a small quantity of gelatin-Locke's solution, inject healthy rabbits with 0.1 cc. to 0.2 cc. of the unfiltered suspension intracerebrally, produce a meningo-encephalitis in most of the animals so injected and recover only a green producing streptococcal from the brains of the dead rabbits. Likewise cultures from the swabs in glucose-brain-broth media revealed green producing streptococci when plated out on blood agar. Similar green producing streptococci were found upon direct inoculation of blood plates with the infected swabs. Gram-positive diplostreptococci were demonstrated in smears from the surface of the brains of animals dying (usually in 24 to 48 hours) following injection, as well as from smears prepared with pipettings from the brain substance.

The writer felt that Rosenow's demonstration was valid, his technique unimpeachable, that each detail of the demonstration should be accepted without question.