n, in many classifications  :  a genus of motile aerobic gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae that produce acid but no gas on many carbohydrates, comprise a number of pathogens including the causative agent (E. typhosa) of typhoid fever in humans, and are sometimes placed in the genus Salmonella or Bacterium
 
Eberth, Karl Joseph (1835-1926), German pathologist and bacteriologist. Eberth's most important work in pathology was his contribution to the understanding of thrombosis. He was one of the first pathologists to seriously undertake bacteriological investigations and one of the earliest laboratory bacteriologists. In 1879 Eberth, after studying twenty-three cases of typhoid fever, concluded that the characteristic changes found in the spleen and lymph nodes of the abdomen occurred because bacterial activity was most intense in these areas. In twelve of the cases he found rod-shaped organisms. In 1880 he reported his discovery of the typhoid bacillus. Although Eberth discovered the bacillus through histopathologic techniques, the organism was actually isolated and cultivated in 1884 by Georg Gaffky (1850-1918).
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.