Milk-borne Septic Sore Throat and Scarlet Fever and Their Relation to Beta Hemolytic Streptococci

The Streptococci

“…This organism was supposed to be especially characterized by the formation of capsules and the production of moist mucoid colonies. However, it gradually became recognized that the special characteristics of this organism were properties which came within the bounds of natural variation in the streptococci; and through the works of various investigators, among which may be mentioned particularly that of Williams and Gurley (1932), Streptococcus epidemicus lost standing as an independent type. However, it is not yet safe to draw definite conclusions concerning the advisability of recognizing more than one species type in the "pyogenes" or Lancefield A group.…”

A Serological Study of Haemolytic Streptococci

“…Many attempts to classify haemolytic streptococci into definite serological groups by means of agglutination tests have met with such difficulties as spontaneous clumping of organisms, cross agglutination with different types of immune sera, and partial absorption of agglutinins. To avoid spontaneous agglutination, Dochez, Avery and Lancefield (1919), Bliss (1922), Durand and S6dallian (1925) and Rosner (1928) grew antigens in a salt-free medium containing phosphate buffer; Tunnicliff (1922) usedascitic broth plus glucose; Gordon (1921) used trypagar plus ascitic fluid; Shibley (1924) allowed the organisms to grow at room temperature; Smith (1926) suspended washed organism in 0.001 N/1 NaOH and diluted the immune serum with M/320 NaCl solution; James (1926) grew organisms first in salt-free meat infusion broth, then transplanted them to tryptic digest broth; Noble (1927) used serum and antigen in a more concentrated form than is usual, reading the results after the mixture was shaken for 2 minutes; Stevens and Dochez (1926), Spicer (1930) and Williams and Gurley (1932) added strips of sterile potato to phosphatebuffered broth; McLachan and Mackie (1928) used phosphate-HELEN PLUMMER buffered broth plus glucose; Gunn and Griffith (1928) and Allison (1931) used a slide agglutination test observed microscopically; Mueller and Klise (1932) diluted immune serum with physiological saline containing 2 per cent normal horse serum. To avoid cross agglutination, agglutinin-absorption tests have been chiefly used.…”