The relationship of capsular types of Staphylococcus aureus to type of infection, carrier state, and phage type was studied in a collection of 477 isolates from 380 infection sites. Capsular polysaccharides were demonstrated by precipitation and agglutination with 11 monospecific antisera. When only one isolate from each infection was considered, 63% were of type 8 and 16% were of type 5. Of all the isolates tested, over 90% were encapsulated. We did not demonstrate any marked difference in the distribution of capsular types between isolates from the blood stream or purulent processes and isolates from healthy carriers or food. Most isolates from bovine mastitis milk had nontypeable capsules. The capsular type seemed stable in culture, and encapsulation had no apparent influence on susceptibility to phages. Of 27 phage-propagating strains maintained via culture transfer on artificial media over many years, 16 (59%) produced capsules. A striking association between certain phage patterns and capsular types was demonstrated.

A patient under immunosuppressive treatment of Hodgkin's disease developed generalized skin granulomata and subcutaneous abscesses. Several aspirated pus samples yielded acid-fast rods with the following properties: temperature optimum, about 30°C with no growth at 37°C; slow growth (2 to 4 weeks); nonchromogenic; hemoglobin or hemin requirement for growth; catalase negative; pyrazinamidase and nicotinamidase positive; and urease negative. The guanine-pluscytosine content of the deoxyribonucleic acid was calculated from the melting temperature to be 66.0 mol%. It is concluded that these isolates belong to a new species, for which the name Mycobacterium haemophilum is proposed. The type strain of this species is strain 1 (= ATCC 29548). The new species is related to M. marinum and M. ulcerans. In this communication, a new acid-fast organism from skin granulomata is described. It has temperature l i m i t s for growth similar to those of M. ulcerans and M. marinum, but its nutritional requirements, growth characteristics, and biochemical activities differ from those described for any other known pathogenic mycobacterium.?Submitted as a tribute to the memory of Werner B. Schaefer, from the Division

The first KPC-3-producing K. pneumoniae isolates detected in the UK were highly genetically related to a KPC-3-producing Israeli K. pneumoniae strain. This relatedness was consistent with the history of one UK patient, who had been hospitalized previously in Israel. However, this strain may be circulating more widely since the second UK patient had no identifiable links with Israel or other overseas countries.