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"Both these strains were also tested with sera of B. Suipestifer (Aertrycke bacillus),
"but they yielded negative results.
"Remarks.—These viruses and several others have been the subject of careful study
"by Bainbridge (Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, vol. xiii., p. 443 (1909) ), who
"found that all but one of the rat viruses investigated were Gaertner's bacillus, the exception
"being a B. Suipestifer (Aertrycke).
"More than one outbreak of food poisoning in man has been traced to the employment
"of these viruses for killing rats and mice. I would specially recall an outbreak at an
"establishment in Holborn many years ago, investigated by Dr. Klein, which seemed
"due to the (b) virus.
"The pathogenic powers of Gaertner's bacillus for man are so well established that
"I regard the use of viruses of this type, for killing rats, as potentially dangerous to
"man, especially in crowded centres of population, though in the country their use may
"be more free from objection."
(19) From this Report it will be noted that Professor Andrewes directs attention
to the possibility of food poisoning resulting, and I might remind your Worshipful
Committee that my predecessor in 1908 reported on an outbreak of illness occurring at
a large business establishment in the City where a considerable number of persons of
both sexes were employed. I rather think this is the outbreak referred to by Professor
Andrewes in his Report. At this establishment, between the 18th and 22nd July
twelve men became seriously ill, the symptoms being severe headache, vomiting,
diarrhœa, cramp in the abdomen, and giddiness with severe collapse in many cases.
These symptoms were accompanied by fever and high temperature, and the patients
looked and were extremely ill. The severe symptoms lasted about 48 hours, but each
case recovered and was practically convalescent at the end of the week. Investigations
showed that all the patients had dined in one room, and that no person who had dined
in each of the four other dining rooms which the firm provided were attacked. An
offensive smell was noted in the particular dining room used by the patients, and on
removal of some of the floor boards the dead bodies, more or less decomposed, of a large
number of mice were found. It was then ascertained that a much-advertised virus for
the destruction of rodents had been used in this room and in the pantry adjoining.
The virus had been laid about on pieces of bread, and it is easy to conceive that mice
eating the poison might carry about the contagion contained in the virus on their feet
to the floors, shelves, chairs, tables and plates, and thus it might subsequently infect
human beings dining in this room. The virus used was at that time stated in the
advertisement to cause a fatal disease amongst rodents, but to be harmless to domestic
animals and human beings. Dr. Klein investigated the outbreak and made experiments
which he considered proved conclusively the identity of the microbe recovered from the
patients' stools and that contained in the virus. As a consequence of this outbreak two
other viruses were examined, and he came to the conclusion that all were culturally and
morphologically closely related and belonged to the group of bacteria included in the
group of "paratyphoid."
In considering this outbreak, Savage (Food Poisoning and Food Infection) writes
as follows:—
"The cultural tests used by Klein were insufficient to distinguish microbe 'S' (the
"bacillus isolated from the stools of the infected patients) from the para-Gaertner bacilli,
"and it is not clear whether this organism was a para-Gaertner bacillus or a true Gaertner
"organism,-euch as B. Suipestifer.
"The outbreak is of great interest, but the available evidence both on bacteriological
"and epidemiological grounds is insufficient to prove that it was caused by the rat virus."
(20) Apart from the use of proprietary preparations containing organisms of the
Gaertner Group, it has been proved that Gaertner bacilli may be met with in the
intestinal contents of rats and mice.
So recently as 1910 Heuser* isolated Gaertner bacilli in five instances from the
intestinal contents of 100 mice examined. The mice examined showed no symptoms
of disease. He also found B. Enteritidis, but not B. Suipestifer, as a result of the
examination of about 60 white rats.
* Quoted by Savage.