The Identification of Erysipelothrix and its Relation to Listerella

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Abstract
A study has been made of 13 strains of Erysipelothrix. All strains ferment glucose, lactose, and d-leyulose without production of gas; about one-half the strains form acid in galactose. Several other "sugars" tested are not altered by any of the strains. Erysipelothrix is virulent for mice and rabbits, inducing fatal infection. During exptl. infection, leucocytosis and mononucleosis are irregular and, therefore, unreliable as measures of infection. With death, the animals may or may not show focal necrosis of the liver. When this form of hepatitis is present the foci are smaller and less frequent than in exptl. listerellosis. None of the strains, when inoculated conjunctivally by instillation or swabbing, induce the corneal responses seen in similar infection by Listerella. Following such inoculation, however, Erysipelothrix irregularly penetrates the conjunctiva and establishes a fatal bacteremia. Measured by the agglutination reaction, Erysipelothrix appears to be a single group antigenically which differs from the 2 immunological types of Listerella.