FAMILY VII. SPIRILLACEAE 



237 



(Roy. Soc. Queensland, Proc. for 1937, 49, 

 1938, 29.) 



ha.lo.ni.tri'fi.cans. Gr. noun hals , hairs 

 the sea salt; M.L. part. adj. nitrificans ni- 

 trifying; M.L. adj. halonitrificans nitrifying 

 salt. 



Curved rods, usually 0.3 by 1.2 to 2.5 mi- 

 crons, occurring singly. Motile by means of 

 a single, polar flagellum. No marked varia- 

 tion in form in media of varied salinity. 

 Stain somewhat faintly with the usual 

 stains. Gram-negative. 



No growth on media which does not con- 

 tain salt. Limit for growth, 1 to 23 per cent 

 salt; optimum growth in 4.0 to 6.0 per cent 

 salt. 



Gelatin stab: Liquefied within 7 days at 

 35° C.; at 20° C. shallow, superficial lique- 

 faction was evident in 20 days. 



Agar colonies: Light amber, glistening, 

 convex, transparent, non-viscid, slightly 

 spreading. 



Agar slants: Growth slow at 4° C., col- 

 onies appearing in 14 days. 



Nutrient and nitrate broths: Growth. 

 No growth, however, when covered with a 

 paraffin oil seal. 



Litmus milk: Not coagulated; growth 

 slight or absent. 



Potato: Growth moist, fairly abundant, 

 whitish. 



Indole not produced. 



Hydrogen sulfide not produced. 



Glucose, fructose, sucrose, mannose, 

 rhamnose, galactose, lactose, maltose, raf- 

 finose, sorbitol and glycerol not fermented. 



Acetylmethylcarbinol not produced. 



Non-lipolytic. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



Catalase-negative. 



Aerobic. 



Temperature relations: Optimum, be- 

 tween 30° and 35° C. Slow growth at 4° C. 

 Killed in 10 minutes in 6 per cent saline 

 broth at 55° C. 



Limiting reactions for growth, pH 5.4 

 and pH 9.2. 



Not pathogenic for guinea pigs or mice. 



Source: Five strains were isolated from 

 tank brines from bacon-curing factories 

 in Australia. The strains showed little var- 

 iation in characters. Except for its ability 

 to liquefy gelatin, this species resembles 



the organisms isolated by Sturges and 

 Heideman (Absts. Bact., 7, 1923, 11; ibid., 

 8, 1924, 14; ibid., 9, 1925, 2) in the U. S. A. 

 Habitat: Known to be found in meat- 

 curing brines but probably more widely 

 distributed. 



12. Vibrio luminosus Beijerinck, 1888. 

 (Vibrio luminosus (nomen nudtim) Beije- 

 rinck, Botan. Zeitg., 46, 1888, 763; Photo- 

 bacterium luminosum Beijerinck, Arch. 

 N^erl. d. Sci. Exact, et Natur., 23, 1889, 401 ; 

 Microspira luminosa Migula, Syst. d. Bakt., 

 2, 1900, 1015.) 



lu.mi.no'sus. L. adj. luminosus Inminons. 



Small rods having the size and form of the 

 cholera vibrio when grown in media con- 

 taining little nitrogen and carbohydrates. 

 Sometimes form chains of vibrios which 

 resemble spirilla. In richer media the cells 

 become much larger. Motile. Gram-nega- 

 tive (Chester, 1897). 



Gelatin: Liquefied. In presence of 0.5 per 

 cent asparagine and 0.5 per cent peptone, 

 offensive odors not produced. Putrefaction 

 of the gelatin occurs when the nitrogen 

 source is insufficient. 



Peptonized meat bouillon gelatin: No 

 growth. Good growth and luminescence 

 with the addition of 3.0 to 3.5 per cent of 

 sea salt, potassium chloride or magnesium 

 chloride. 



Agar: Growth rapid, shines feebly. 



Sea-water broth: Produces forms which 

 resemble the bacteroids of legume bacteria. 



Blood serum: No growth. Addition of 3.0 

 to 3.5 per cent of sea salt, potassium chloride 

 or magnesium chloride allows good growth 

 and luminescence. 



Nitrates not reduced. 



Indigo-blue not readily reduced. 



Salt tolerance: In order to assure phos- 

 phorescence and good growth, the osmotic 

 tension of inorganic salt solutions used for 

 cultivation should be equivalent to that 

 produced in a 3 per cent sodium chloride 

 solution. 



Optimum temperature for growth and 

 luminescence, between 25° and 28° C. 



Aerobic. 



Quality of luminescence: Bluish green, 

 persisting for 1 to 2 weeks. 



Distinctive characters: Develops only 



