Report of experiments and observations on the vitality of the bacillus of typhoid fever and of sewage microbes in oysters and other shellfish / by E. Klein.

  • Klein, E. (Edward), 1844-1925.
Date:
[1905]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of experiments and observations on the vitality of the bacillus of typhoid fever and of sewage microbes in oysters and other shellfish / by E. Klein. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    29/94 (page 25)
    B. typhosus, and these, after 48 hours and 72 hours, could readily be identified as such. It should also be added that the counting of the colonies, except in the case of dry oyster 2, presented no difficulties, and was always repeated to control the first counting. As was mentioned already, in all instances an accurately measured quantity of the turbid fluid part of the minced oyster, or c.c. as the case required, was used for Drigalski plates, and the total quantity of the minced oyster was kept at just 1 c.c. Where originally deficient, it was brought up to 1 c.c. by the addition of sterile sea water. In all plates the colonies were found isolated, not in fused groups, thus proving that the bacilli were fairly uniformly dis¬ tributed in the fluid of the minced oyster, and had not formed nests, as it were, in the oyster tissues ; that is to say, had not multiplied and made aggregationswithinthetissues of the oyster. As was mentioned on a former page, colonies were taken at random, and the required tests—examination in the hanging drop, agglutination test, subculture on gelatine, agglutination of this, and ultimately, if required, in other media—were carried out. After a little practice the recog¬ nition of the typhoid colonies on Drigalski plates in all these and the subsequent experiments was merely a matter of patient examination under a magnifying glass. Tabulating the results of the preceding Experiment I. we obtain this:— Table I. Oysters injected with 160 millions B. typhosus each: Wet—i.e.} kept in clean sea water frequently changed. Oyster 1—after 1 day in water, 70,000 B. typhosus per oyster. 33 1 CO 33 2 days 33 9100 33 33 33 5—• 33 3 33 33 1100 33 33 33 7—* 33 4 33 33 320 33 33 33 9— 33 6 33 33 0 33 per part of oyster. 33 11— 33 7 33 33 0 33 per T3y part of oyster.