FURTHER STUDIES ON THE BEHAVIOR OF BACTERIA TOWARD GENTIAN VIOLET

1. A gentian-positive strain (a "strain-within-a-strain" variant) has been isolated from a pure culture of a gentian-negative organism. This observation corresponds to that of a "strain-within-a-species" variant, occurring in the enteritidis group, reported some years ago. 2. The Gram reaction and the gentian reaction do not depend, as has been assumed in previous publications, on the specific affinity of the gentian-positive organisms for a portion of the gentian violet molecule, since certain Gram-negative strains are shown to be gentian-positive. 3. Dead bacterial bodies interposed between living bacteria and gentian violet media partially negative the effect of the dye on Gram-positive organisms and allow them to grow. This seems to be either a phenomenon of filtration or of stimulation of growth. 4. The application of these facts by the method of divided plates shows a number of difficulties in the application of laboratory studies to chemotherapeutics, which would escape observation by ordinary methods.