SPECIFICITY OF A STREPTOCOCCUS ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS WITH PEMPHIGUS

Abstract

This report deals with bacteriologic studies of the blood, of material obtained from the nasopharynx and of the fluid from blisters of seven patients who had pemphigus. A streptococcus was isolated from the blood of five of the patients in each of ten trials, whereas cultures from the blood of a sixth patient with pemphigus were sterile on four separate occasions. A characteristic streptococcus was isolated from swabbings of the nasopharynx of these seven patients in each of the twenty-one attempts. A similar streptococcus was obtained from the fluid of blisters only once in thirty-four trials. <h3>METHOD OF ISOLATING THE STREPTOCOCCUS FROM THE BLOOD</h3> Blood for culture was drawn in amounts of 20 cc. as aseptically as possible and put into sterile tubes containing 5 cc. of a 2 per cent solution of sodium citrate in a physiologic solution of sodium chloride. From 4 to 5 cc. of the mixture