Pathogenic Bacteria

LEPROSY. 243

garded by some as spores, but which are even less likely
to be spores than the similar appearances in the tubercle
bacillus.

The organism almost always occurs singly or in irreo--
ular groups, filaments being unknown. It is not motile.

Many experimenters have endeavored to grow this ba-
cillus upon artificially prepared substances, but in spite
of modern methods, improved apparatus, and refined
media, few claim to have met with success.

Bordoni-Uffredozzi was able to grow upon a blood-serum-
glycerin mixture a bacillus which partook of the staining
peculiarities of the lepra bacillus as it appears in the
tissues, but differed very much from it in its morphology.
After 'numerous generations this bacillus was induced to
grow upon ordinary culture-media. It commonly pre-
sented a club-like form, which was regarded by Baum-
garten as an involution appearance. Frankel points out
that tlie bacillus of Bordoni is possessed of none of the
essential characters of the lepra bacillus except its stain-
ing.

Czaplewski1 offers a confirmation of the work of Bor-
doni-Uffredozzi, together with a description of a bacillus
supposed to be the lepra bacillus, which he succeeded in
cultivating from the nasal secretions of a leper.

The bacillus was first isolated upon a culture-medium
consisting of glycerinized serum without the addition of
salt, pepton, or sugar. The mixture was placed in flat
dishes, coagulated by heat, and sterilized by the inter-
mittent method.

The secretion, rich in lepra bacilli, was taken up with
a platinum wire and inoculated upon the culture-medium
by a series of linear strokes. The dishes (Petri dishes
were used for the experiment) were securely closed with
paraffin and stood in the incubating-oven at 37° C.

Upon the surface of the medium there grew numerous
colonies of staphylococcus aureus, the bacillus of Fried-

1 Centralbl. f. Bakt. und Parasitenk., Jan. 31, 1898, vol. xxiii., Nos. 3 and
4> P- 97-