THE OCCURRENCE OF ROUGH PNEUMOCOCCI IN VIVO.

In a survey of about forty rough methemoglobin-producing colonies in sputum cultures from a series of individuals suffering from respiratory infections, twelve bile-soluble strains of suspected R pneumococci have been isolated for study. Two of these twelve strains have shown both autolysis in saline solution and serological reactions characteristic of R pneumococci. The findings offer evidence that R pneumococci may occasionally occur in human sputum. Their significance as regards the epidemiology of pneumococcus infections and of host response is alluded to.