A NON-GAS-PRODUCING STRAIN OF THE HOG-CHOLERA BACILLUS ISOLATED FROM AN OLD LABORATORY CULTURE

In a stock culture of the hog-cholera bacillus, which was passed through a series of rabbits 14 years ago, an organism was found that differs from the original culture in that it fails to form gas from the carbohydrates that are usually attacked by this organism, while acid formation persists. This new strain is agglutinated by an anti-hog-cholera bacillus serum and produces in rabbits and mice a disease similar to that caused by the typical cultures. The failure to form gas has persisted over a period of 18 months and all attempts to cause the strain to revert to the original condition have failed. It resembles in many respects Bacillus typhosus and it may be that some of the so called typhoid cultures that are not agglutinated by antityphoid serum are non-gas-producing paratyphoids. Attempts to produce a similar change in a more recently isolated culture of the hog-cholera bacillus by means of animal passages and changes in the environment have been negative.