The Laboratory Diagnosis of Typhus Fever. Further Observations on the value and on the significance of the Weil-Felix Reaction

Abstract

Following the capture of Jerusalem and in the early months of 1918 Capt. C. M. Craig, R.A.M.C., obtained a culture of a proteus-like bacillus from the civil Jewish bacteriologist of that city. He was informed that this organism was being extensively used by German and Austrian bacteriologists on the Eastern front for the diagnosis of Typhus Fever. After making some preliminary observations on its agglutination by the sera of typhus patients he forwarded the culture on to this laboratory for further investigation, the preliminary account of which was published by Craig and Fairley (21 Sept., 1918, Lancet, pp. 385–6).