Proteus OX19

Proteus OX19 is a strain of the Proteus vulgaris bacterium.

Proteus OX19
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Gammaproteobacteria
Order: Enterobacterales
Family: Enterobacteriaceae
Genus: Proteus
Species:
P. vulgaris
Binomial name
Proteus vulgaris
Hauser, 1885

History

In 1915, Arthur Felix and Edward Weil discovered that Proteus OX19 reacted to the same human immune antibodies as typhus. Other Proteus strains were similarly used to create reagents for other rickettsiae diseases, thus resulting in the commercial Weil-Felix antibody-agglutination test.

Use in fake epidemic in Poland

Drs. Eugeniusz Lazowski and his medical-school friend Stanisław Matulewicz were practicing in the small town of Rozwadów in Poland during World War II. Dr. Matulewicz realized that since Proteus vulgaris strain OX19 was used to manufacture the then-common Weil-Felix antibody-agglutination test for typhus, inoculating villagers with dead Proteus would cause a false positive result without causing any disease. When the blood samples of the townspeople were sent to the German authorities for testing, authorities were convinced a typhus epidemic was raging in Rozwadów, and the area was avoided by the Germans, saving thousands of Poles.[1][2]

In fiction

The novel 1979 Night Trains, by Barbara Wood and Gareth Wootton, is a fictionalized account of the Proteus story, with details altered.

References
  1. "Dr. Eugene Lazowski: The Weapon of Intelligence | About the Hero". Lowell Milken Center. 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  2. "Chicago's 'Schindler' who saved 8,000 Poles from Nazis dies Chicago Sun-Times - Find Articles". 2007-10-30. Archived from the original on 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
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