Observations on the Etiology of Measles

Abstract

Recently Ferry and Fisher 1 have described a small, gram-positive, aerobic, green producing streptococcus which they isolated from the blood of measles patients in the early stages of the disease. In obtaining this organism 10 cc. of blood were added to flasks of Hibler medium and any resulting growth was plated on sheep's-blood agar. They state that this organism forms a soluble toxin, which on injection into horses or rabbits is capable of producing an immune serum showing antitoxic properties. Further, by using proper dilutions of the toxin, they have elaborated a skin test similar to the Schick test and Dick test, which can be used in determining individual susceptibility to measles. In a series of papers published between 1918 and 1926 Tunnicliff2 and her associates describe a gram-positive micrococcus which they believe to be the etiologic factor of measles. This organism, which can be cultivated only under strict anaerobic conditions in the first generation, grows, when transplanted upon suitable mediums, as an aerobic greenproducing diplococcus or short chain streptococcus in subsequent generations. They have recovered this organism from the blood, sputum, nasopharyngeal secretions and the aural discharge of measles patients in the pre-eruptive stage and in the early period of the rash. They believe that they have produced a modified form of measles by inoculating susceptible animals with this organism. The serums of these inoculated animals possess the biological properties of immune sera. These workers have not as yet reproduced the disease in man. Caronia 3 isolated an anaerobic gram-negative diplococcus from the blood, bone marrow, nasopharyngeal secretions and cerebrospinal fluid of measles patients using the Tarozzi-Noguchi culture technic. This organism is agglutinated in high dilution by the serum from convalescent measles patients. He states that he reproduced the disease in young