FAMILY VI. BACTEROIDACEAE 



429 



required in the medium for growth. Opti- 

 mum, 12.5 to 15 per cent. 



Optimum pH, between 7.4 and 7.6. Limits 

 of pH, 5.5 to 8.5. 



Anaerobic. 



Temperature relations: Optimum, 35° C. 

 Slight growth at 22° C. No growth at 56° C. 



Source: Isolated from salted Mediter- 

 ranean anchovies; frequently isolated from 

 the fish muscle and the solar salt (the prob- 

 able infecting agent) in which the fish is 

 packed. 



Habitat: Probably sea water. 



10. Bacteroides putidus (Weinberg et 

 al., 1937) Kelly, comb. nov. {Bacillus gracilis 

 putidus Tissier and Martelly, Ann. Inst. 

 Past., 16, 1902, 865; Bacillus putidus Wein- 

 berg et al., Les Microbes Ana^robies, 1937, 

 790; not Bacillus putidus Kern, Arb. bakt. 

 Inst. Karlsruhe, 1, Heft 4, 1896, 400; Ristella 

 putida Prevot, Ann. Inst. Past., 60, 1938, 

 291.) 



pu'ti.da. L. adj. putidus stinking, fetid. 



Small, thin, straight rods, occurring 

 singly or in short chains; longer forms occur 

 in older cultures. Non-motile. Gram-nega- 

 tive. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Glucose agar: Deep colonies lenticular in 

 48 hours, later becoming irregular. No gas. 



Broth: Turbidity in 48 hours with a 

 powdery precipitate. No gas. Putrid odor. 



Milk: No action. 



Albumin: Broken down to proteoses and 

 amines with the production of hydrogen sul- 

 fide and acetic, butyric and valerianic acids. 



Fibrin is digested with the production of 

 gas. 



Urea is broken down. 



No action on carbohydrates. 



Fats are saponified. 



Anaerobic. 



Growth occurs at 37° C. or at room tem- 

 perature. 



Source: Isolated from putrefying meat. 



Habitat: Found in decomposing organic 

 matter. 



11. Bacteroides melaninogenicus (Oli- 

 ver and Wherry, 1921) Roy and Kelly, 

 1939. (Bacterium melaninogenicuvi Oliver and 

 Wherry, Jour. Inf. Dis., 28, 1921, 341; Ris- 



tella melaninogenica Pr6vot, Ann. Inst. 

 Past., 60, 1938, 290; Roy and Kelly, in Man- 

 ual, 5th ed., 1939, 569.) 



me.la.ni.no.ge'ni.cus. Gr. adj. melas 

 black; M.L. noun melaninum melanin; Gr. 

 adj. genicus of the family; M.L. adj. mel- 

 aninogenicus melanin-producing. 



Description taken from Oliver and 

 Wherry (op. cit., 1921, 341) and Burdon 

 (Jour. Inf. Dis., 4^, 1928, 161). 



Rods, 0.8 by 1.0 to 3.0 microns. Non- 

 motile. Gram-negative. 



Serum gelatin stab: Dense, flocculent 

 growth at 37° C. No liquefaction. 



Blood agar slant: Confluent, black, dry 

 layer. The blood is disintegrated in one to 

 two weeks, forming melanin. The medium 

 becomes colorless. 



Sodium phosphate broth: Turbid. 



Litmus milk: Slow acidification but no 

 coagulation. 



Blood serum slant: Fairly luxuriant, 

 white, moist layer. 



Acid from fructose, glucose, lactose, 

 maltose, sucrose and mannitol. No acid 

 from galactose. 



Growth is stimulated by the X factor, but 

 there is very little growth stimulation by the 

 V factor (Schwabacher, Lucas and Riming- 

 ton. Jour. Gen. Microbiol., 1, 1947, 109). 



Anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature, 37° C. 



Non-pathogenic for rabbits, guinea pigs 

 or white mice (Burdon). 



Distinctive characters: Growth very poor 

 unless fresh body fluids are added to the 

 medium. Grows more readily in mixed cul- 

 ture. When grown on a medium containing 

 haemoglobin, a black pigment is produced. 



Comments: Schwabacher et al. {loc. cit.) 

 have shown that the black pigment pro- 

 duced by this species is, in reality, hematin, 

 not melanin; the specific epithet melanino- 

 genicus is, therefore, inappropriate, and 

 they recommend renaming this species. Re- 

 naming, however, is contrary to inter- 

 nationally accepted rules governing nomen- 

 clature. 



Source: Isolated from the oral cavity, ex- 

 ternal genitalia, an infected surgical wound, 

 urine and feces (Oliver and Wherry) . 



Habitat: Inhabits healthy mucous mem- 



