A Guinea-pig Epizootic Associated with an Organism of the Food-poisoning Group but probably caused by a Filter-passer

Abstract

1. An epizootic killing 90% of a stock of 500 guinea-pigs has been described; cultures from these guinea-pigs frequently gave an organism indistinguishable by cultural or serological tests from the B. aertryck and the B. suipestifer . 2. This organism was highly pathogenic when inoculated subcutaneously into guinea-pigs and of low pathogenicity when given to them with food. 3. Healthy contacts put with animals infected subcutaneously or fed with the bacillus did not die. 4. Sterile filtrates of organs of guinea-pigs of the infected stock administered by different methods frequently killed. 5. The evidence definitely suggests that the essential infecting agent in the epizootic was a filter-passer.