OBSERVATIONS ON A STRAIN OF SPIROCHAETA PALLIDA ISOLATED FROM THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

A strain of Spirochoeta pallida isolated from the nervous system has shown the following constant characters: (1) thick form; (2) the production of hard, well demarcated lesions with necrotic centers; (3) a characteristic location of the lesion; (4) a short incubation period; (5) a tendency to generalize with lesions of the skin and eye, following local inoculation of the testicle and scrotum. It is suggested that these characters constitute a definite strain of highly invasive power and that a classification of members of the pallida group may be made in accordance with this power.