Abstract
With a view to ascertaining whether bacteria can pass through the normal kidney, suspensions of 5 species of nonpathogenic bacteria were abundantly injected into the ear veins of rabbits, samples of the bladder urine were taken by direct puncture of the previously exposed bladder, and the urine samples were incubated and tested for bacteria, with the results to be summarized as follows:
1. With B. subtilis and an enterococcus, the bladder urine constantly remained sterile, in relatively many cases, throughout the period of examina-tion from 0.5 to 7 hours after injection (8 samples). Similar results were obtained in a few cases with other species of bacteria. These results are in support of the view denying the passage of bacteria through the normal kidney.
2. In some cases, the bladder urine was sterile at first but became positive 3 or 4 hours after injection. In the positive urine samples con-current appearance of erythrocytes was demonstrated. From the common knowledge as to the excretion by the normal kidney of pigment or some other foreign body, those bacteria that appeared in the bladder urine first after 3 or 4 hours cannot be regarded to have been excreted by the kidney, but may possibly be what had transferred from the blood stream into the bladder urine on account of bleeding due to puncture of the bladder.
3. With avirulent B. coli which is the most actively multiplying and best growing species of the bacteria tested, it was often the case that the appearance of bacteria in the urine was in advance of that of erythrocytes. In experiments of bilateral ligature of the ureters (with avirulent B. coli) also similar cases were observed when bacteria in the blood stream trans-ferred directly to the bladder urine.
4. These results may be taken to be in favor of the view denying the passage of bacteria through the normal kidney.
