438 



ORDER IV. EUBACTERIALES 



dium around colonies becomes turbid from 

 the precipitation of protein. No surface 

 growth. 



Ascitic fluid agar: Growth by most 

 strains. 



Serum broth: Milky turbidity. 



Peptone broth: No growth. 



Liver broth: No turbidity; grayish white, 

 flaky precipitate. 



Indole not produced. 



Hydrogen sulfide not produced. 



Acid from glucose, fructose, sucrose, 

 maltose and sometimes from lactose. No 

 acid from inulin or mannitol (Hine and 

 Berry). 



Pathogenicity: Associated with Vincent's 

 angina. Non-pathogenic for white mice 

 (Hauduroy et al., Diet. d. Bact. Path., 

 Paris, 1953, 259). 



Anaerobic. 



Temperature relations: Survives 60° C. 

 for 2 but not for 5 minutes. 



Relationship to other species: There has 

 been a continuous discussion in the litera- 

 ture regarding the identity of Vincent's 

 organism (Vincent, op. cit., 1896, 495) with 

 that reported by Plant (Deutsch. med. 

 Wochnschr., £0, 1894, 922). A review of 

 Plaut's work indicates that he dealt pri- 

 marily with a mixed culture, one of the 

 organisms present being the "Miller 'schen 

 Bacillus," which appears to have been 

 Selenomonas sputigena Dobell. Early Ger- 

 man workers (e.g. Knorr) have favored the 

 idea that Plaut's organism is really identical 

 with Vincent's organism, but Vincent and 

 other French investigators have maintained 

 that the two organisms are distinct. The 

 French viewpoint, which seems to be the 

 correct one, is well summarized by Weinberg 

 et al. (Les Microbes Anaerobies, 1937, 804) 

 and by Prevot (Ann. Inst. Past., 60, 1938, 

 285). Plaut's organism is so vaguely de- 

 scribed that it should be placed among the 

 species incertae sedis; it is doubtful whether 

 it can be definitely reidentified. 



Source: Isolated from cases of hospital 

 gangrene (Vincent) ; also isolated from 

 gingival crevices in normal mouths, from 

 cases with deep caries, inflamed areas 

 around crowns and fillings, pyorrhetic 

 pockets, Vincent's infection and from the 



mouths of three monkeys and two rabbits 

 (Hine and Berry). 



Habitat: Found in mouth cavities with 

 gangrenous lesions as well as in normal 

 mouth cavities. 



2. Fusobacterium polyniorphuni 



Knorr, 1923. (Cent. f. Bakt., I Abt., Orig., 

 89, 1923, 19.) 



po.ly.mor'phum. Gr. adj. poly many; 

 Gr. noun morphe form, shape; Gr. adj. 

 polymorphns multiform, of many shapes. 



Original description supplemented by 

 material taken from Hine and Berry (Jour. 

 Bact., 3J^, 1937, 522) and from Prevot and 

 Peyre (Ann. Inst. Past., 7S, 1947, 1124). 



Rods, 0.2 to 0.5 by 8.0 to 16.0 microns, 

 occurring in pairs with the pointed ends 

 adjoining, often occurring in long threads 

 (250 microns). Pronounced pleomorphism. 

 Non-motile. Gram-negative. 



Neither gas nor odor is produced. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Plain agar: Slight growth. 



Meat infusion agar: Good growth. 



Serum agar plates (alkaline) : After 2 to 3 

 days, colonies 0.5 mm or larger in diameter, 

 lens-shaped with offshoots. 



Rabbit blood (5 per cent) agar colonies: 

 Round, 1 to 2 mm in diameter, convex, 

 grayish white, smooth, glistening, entire. 



Ascitic fluid agar: Good growth. 



Glucose bouillon: Uniformly turbid. 



Peptone broth: No growth. 



Douglas' broth: Good growth at bottom 

 of tube under anaerobic conditions; uniform 

 turbidity on shaking. 



Tenacious sediment in liquid media. 



Milk: Partially coagulated. 



Coagulated serum or egg white: Not di- 



Indole not produced (Knorr) ; indole is 

 produced (Hine and Berry, and Prevot and 

 Peyre) . 



Hydrogen sulfide not produced (Knorr) ; 

 hydrogen sulfide produced in trace amounts 

 (Prevot and Peyre) . 



Acid usually produced from glucose, fruc- 

 tose and sucrose. No acid from lactose, mal- 

 tose, inulin or mannitol (Hine and Berry). 

 Only glucose and fructose are fermented 

 (Prevot and Peyre) . 



Neutral red is reduced. 



