Occurrence of Organisms Resembling Pathogenic Members of the Colon-Typhoid Group in Long Stored Feces

Abstract

When saline suspensions of human feces, stored in the icebox for many months, are plated on Endo's agar resultant colonial growth is different from that obtained with the same specimens when fresh. In most specimens, so stored and plated, there occurs an abundant growth of small, white colonies of Gram negative, non-sporing, generally motile, aerobic bacilli which exhibit a variety of biochemical activity, failing however to ferment lactose with acid and gas production, even after prolonged incubation.Some of these organisms culturally resemble paratyphoid, typhoid and dysentery bacilli and may be mistaken for them. Furthermore, certain of the strains give serological cross-reactions with these known pathogens. Possibly they may be involved in gastro-enteritis, apparently water borne, since organisms similar to those we have under study have been reported from such outbreaks.1Clemesha2 was probably first to observe these organisms. For some reason he named them “Bacillus P”, although noting they were a gr...