Further Studies on Bacterium Abortus and Related Bacteria: II. A Comparison of Bacterium Abortus with Bacterium Bronchisepticus and with the Organism which Causes Malta Fever

Abstract

The similarity between Bacterium bronchisepticus and Bacterium abortus in their growth on potato, and in their inability to attack sugars has been pointed out by Smith.' So far as the writer is aware, no further attention has been called to the similarity between the two organisms. From a biologic standpoint the resemblance is of interest; and since, as Mcfiowan" has shown, Bact. bronchisepticus causes epizootics among laboratory animals, and during an epizootic may inhabit the organs of normal animals, the resemblance between the two organisms has a practical significance in the possibility of their confusion when isolated from experimental animals. Certain facts as stated in the literature concerning another pathogenic organism-that causing Malta fever-suggested that a comparison with Bact. abortus might also be of interest. The Malta fever organism was discovered by Bruce." He examined stained smears from the spleen of human subjects in fatal cases, and in every case found minute organisms which he called micrococci. These were later proved to be the causal organism, and the name Micrococcus melitensis was given. In fresh material obtained from infected individuals this organism is said to appear invariably in the coccus form, but under artificial cultivation bacillary forms are reported to be common, and these have been regarded as involution forms. Some of the most recent textbooks, however, have called the organism Bacillus melitensis. The descriptions of the Malta fever organism suggested a similar morphology to that of Bact. abortus which is described as a

A Review of Undulant Fever

“…These investigations suggested that there was some relationship between the organism discovered by Bruce in 1887 and that first described by Bang ten years later, though hitherto they had been considered to be entirely distinct. This suspected relationship was confirmed by Evans (9) in Washington who, in 1918, showed that on morphological and serological grounds the two were practically indistinguishable. This work was confirmed by Meyer and Shaw (10) and by Khaled(ii).…”

Infection of the Hip by Brucella Suis

“…The patient was treated with 1 Gm. of streptomycin and 90 grains (about 6 Gm.) of sulfa- diazine per day for nine days.…”

Bacterium Abortus Infection in Man

“…Hartford, Conn. INCE the work of Evans (1918) proved the close relationship between Bact. abortus and Bact.…”