Red-Leg in Tree-Frogs Caused by Bacterium alkaligenes

SUMMARY: The individual animals in a large batch of European tree-frogs imported into England from Italy were found to be suffering from what proved to be, with two exceptions, a uniformly fatal attack of typical red-leg. Bacterium alkaligenes was isolatedin profusion in pure culture from the heart blood and lymph fluid of all the frogs examined. The strain was highly susceptible to streptomycin, and the only animals to recover were two that were treated with 1000 units of the antibiotic, in divided doses over 9 days.