Abstract
Noguchi 1 by the use of special methods isolated from cases of human trachoma a new bacterial species to which the name Bacterium granulosis was given. The organism was described as a small, motile, monotrichous, Gram negative rod; no mention was made of a capsule. With it a chronic granular conjunctivitis was induced in Macacus rhesus; and the disease thus experimentally produced was transferred by direct tissue passage to the chimpanzee, baboon and other Macacus rhesus through at least 4 successive passages. Bacterium granulosis was regarded by Noguchi as the probable inciting microorganism of trachoma and its equivalent, granular conjunctivitis in monkeys. The role played by the organism in the production of human trachoma has since been experimentally reviewed by a number of other investigators. General agreement on the subject has not been reached but there is a fairly large body of evidence to support Noguchi's contention.
We have recently studied this organism by the new technic for staining capsules recently described, 2 using for this purpose a culture obtained by Olitsky and Tyler 3 from a case of human trachoma. Capsules were found on both the S type, and the R type dissociated by Tyler. The capsules could also be demonstrated by the Casares Gil method for staining flagella. When this stain was used the capsular attachment of the flagella, as previously described by us, 4 was clearly demonstrable.
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