The Tetanus Bacillus as an Intestinal Saprophyte in Man

1. The only reliable method that can be used for the detection of tetanus bacilli is the culturing of the suspected material, the isolation of tetanus-like organisms and the demonstration that the pure cultures form a spasm-producing toxin that is neutralized by tetanus antitoxin. 2. Using this method we have demonstrated tetanus bacilli in 34.7 per cent of stools from 78 individuals in Peking. 3. The tetanus bacillus is growing in the digestive tract, for it is present in individuals who have been on a practically sterile diet for a month or more, and one individual may eliminate several million spores of tetanus bacilli in a single stool.