Salmonella enteritidis Infection by a Parenteral Route

Abstract

In the spring of 1936 a small epidemic of enteritidis bacteriemia was reported from refugee camps in Peiping. 1 As the majority of these patients suffered from relapsing fever at the same time, and as enteritidis bacteriemia has in the past rarely been encountered locally, 2 an attempt was made to see whether there was a special route of infection. Body-lice caught from some of the patients were cultured and, in every case examined, they were found to be infected with S. enteritidis. In several cases, both Spirochceta recurrentis and S. enteritidis were found in the same ectoparasites. There was also evidence of multiplication of the infecting organisms in the body-lice by repeated cultures of the infected lice at different intervals. In one experiment clean body-lice were fed with blood from a patient who was found to have about 150 colonies of S. enteritidis per cc. of circulating blood. Lice that were fed on the patients were found to contain innumerable colonies of the same organisms. In view of the susceptibility of body-lice to infection with S. enteritidis and in view of the occurrence of combined infection with Spirochceta recurrentis both locally and in Russia, 3 it seemed to us that it was not impossible that the 2 infections were introduced together by a parenteral route. With this idea in mind, the following experiment was undertaken on guinea pigs, which are naturally susceptible to enteritidis infection.

Guinea pigs were shaved over the nape with care so that no gross trauma was caused. After 24, 48 and 72 hours, animals were infected by repeated but gentle swabbing of this area with a 24-hour broth culture of S. enteritidis. Some animals were purposely traumatized shortly before the application of the culture.