The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1906-05-12
TYPHOID GERMS SHORT LIVED.


Investigations at the University OF
Wisconsin Indicate Germs Survive
Only One Week Under Usual Con-
ditions.
Results Of a series Of interesting in
vestigations which have been carried
on in the hygienic laboratory at the
University of Wisconsin show that
the vitality of the germs causing ty-
phoid fever is not very great when
these germs find their way either into
pure water or into sewage infected
water A long series of experiments
has been carried on with view to de-
termining the exact length of time in
which the bacillus typhosus survive
when placed in ordinary lake water,
and similar investigation has been
made of their longevity in polluted
waters. AS a result it has been shown
that in flowing water taken from
Lake Mendoza the organisms live
from eight to ten days, while in water
polluted by sewage they survive but
five days This leads to the conclusion
that the typhus bacillus is killed off
by the presence of the other organ
isms in the sewage infected water.
The tests were made by Prof. II. l..
Russell and DR.. G. A. Fuller of the
department of bacteriology of the
University of Wisconsin.
In carrying on these experiments in
the laboratory, effort was made to APP
proximate as closely as possible the
conditions that exist in nature. The
sacs containing the waters infected
with typhoid bacilli were placed in
large glass receptacles through which
there was allowed to flow continuous
ly stream of water or sewage. Two
of this series of experiments were
carried on in winter, one in spring and
one in summer, so that the effect OF
the varying temperature of water
might be tested. Every precaution
was taken to make the experiments as
accurate as possible.
The tests in normal water taken
from Lake Mendoza show striking
agreement as to the length OF time
that the typhoid organism survives
under these conditions. Although in
a number of experiments there was
considerable variation as to the tenn
perature of the water, and OF the num-
Der Of organisms employed, the life
of the typhoid germs ranged through
comparatively narrow period or
from eight to ten days. While the
limit of the complete destruction was
from eight to ten days, by far the
greater part of the organisms dlsap-
peared before the end of week. IL
was often only few seemingly more
resistant individual germs that per-
sisted for an appreciably longer time
than the average.
Having determined the relation or
the typhoid organism to such natural
surface waters as those OF Lake Men
dota, the university bacteriologlsts di'
rected their attention to the length or
life of these organisms when exposed
| to the influence of liquids filled with
| germ life and other products. The re
suit of the experiments indicates thaC
the typhoid organism is unable to re-
tain it's vitality as long when I'M
mersed in sewage as it does when In
contact with lake water. When the
bacillus yphosus was exposed direct
" to the action Of sewage bacteria IL
survived from three to five days, less
than half the time that it could live
in pure water. The other experiments
show that the cause of the cause OF
the death of the typhoid bacillus was
the direct action of the other bacteria
present in the sewage rather than the
products of the sewage bacteria. This
investigation seems to warrant the
definite conclusion that the longevity
Of the typhoid germs in waters is ma
teriallv affected by the presence III
+he water of other bacteria.