ON THE PRESENCE OF THE TYPHOID BACILLUS IN THE URINE

Abstract

(1) Typhoid bacilli were demonstrated in the urines of 9 out of 38 typhoid patients (about 25 per cent). 172 specimens were examined with 44 positive results. (2) The bacilli, when demonstrated, were always present in large numbers and in practically pure culture. (3) The bacilli appeared first in the later stages of the disease and persisted in the great majority of cases far into convalescence. The urines of typhoid patients should, therefore, not only be rigidly disinfected during the disease, but they should also be carefully supervised during convalescence. (4) The typhoid bacilli were practically always associated with albuminuria and the presence of renal casts. On the other hand urines containing considerable amounts of albumin and casts in large numbers often showed no typhoid bacilli. (5) Irrigation of the bladder with antiseptic solutions offers a possible means for removing permanently the bacilli from the urine.