Author: Glossary

Skin test with brucella antigen for the diagnosis of past or present infection by an organism within the genus.  

Pig-borne species, occasionally transmitted to man. No growth in fuchsin.  

Species infecting goats, sheep and man (especially along the Mediter-ranean littoral); the organism of classical undulant fever. Grows in both thionin and fuchsin.  

Diagnosis of leptospirosis by the agglutination of leptospires by patient serum. The test is similar to the agglutination-lysis test, but (1) leptospira suspensions are killed by formalin; and (2) test preparations are not incubated, but stored at 4°C overnight before reading.  

Medium for the cultivation of anaerobic organisms, in which the reduced state existing at the time of sterilization is maintained by sodium thioglycollate. The medium is a meat extract glucose broth incorporating watery agar, with methylene blue as an indicator of oxidation.  

Slide for approximate counts of bacteria in fluids (especially milk), the slide being ruled in plain centimetre squares.  

Dried serum albumin fraction which, reconstituted and added to culture medium, provides nutriment and (in the case of fluid cultures of MyCO. tuberculosis’) enhances growth by protecting the organisms from toxic growth products.  

Commensal spirochaete of anal and genital mucous membranes, highly refractile and actively motile.  

Causative organism of European relapsing fever, the spirochaete is 10-20Mm long with fairly regular coils, and is demonstrable in Romanovsky stained films, wet blood films, and by Gram’s method. The spirochaete is cultivated—though not easily—in a variety of media containing animal protein such as serum or blood. It is transmitted to man by body lice.…

Infective agent of West African relapsing fever, Borr. duttonii is morphologically similar to Bon. recurrentis, but is a separate species, transmitted by ticks. The causative agent for East African tick-borne relapsing fever. Other causes of endemic relapsing fever include Borrelia hermii.