FAMILY VII. MICROCOCCACEAE 



479 



short chains, tetrads and irregular groups. 

 Non-motile. Not encapsulated. Gram-posi- 

 tive. 



Growth does not occur on complex ni- 

 trogenous or sugar-containing media to any 

 observable extent in the absence of added 

 glycine; furthermore, ordinary distilled 

 water is frequently toxic to this organism, 

 and glass-distilled water or a 1 :1 mixture of 

 glass-distilled and tap water is recom- 

 mended in the preparation of media. 



Gelatin: Liquefaction. 



Agar plate colonies: Circular, up to 0.5 

 mm in diameter, smooth, entire, convex, 

 opaque, grayish white, butyrous. 



Growth in fluid medium: Slow but abun- 

 dant growth in peptone yeast extract 

 medium containing 0.3 per cent added 

 glycine; coarsely granular; no odor; no gas. 



Litmus milk: Partial reduction. 



Indole not produced. 



Hydrogen sulfide not produced. 



Glycine or glycine-containing peptides 

 are fermented. Other amino acids, organic 

 acids and carbohydrates are not utilized. 

 Glycine is decomposed to CO 2 , NH3 and 

 acetic acid; under certain conditions H2 

 may also be formed in addition to the above 

 products. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates; nitrites 

 are reduced. 



Coagulase-negative. 



Catalase-positive. 



Anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature, 37° C. 



Optimum pH, 7.2; pH range, 6.0 to 8.5. 



Non-hemolytic. 



Distinctive characters: Large cell size; 

 distinctive catabolism. The predominant 

 organism in anaerobic enrichment cultures 

 prepared by inoculating mud into 1 per cent 

 glycine in tap water. 



Source: Isolated from mud in the tidal 

 areas of San Francisco Bay. 



Habitat: Mud and soil. 



10. Peptococcus variabilis (Foubert 

 and Douglas, 1948) Douglas, coinb. nov. 

 {Micrococcus variabilis Foubert and 

 Douglas, Jour. Bact., 56, 1948, 25.) 



va.ri.a'bi.lis. L. adj. variabilis variable. 



Original description supplemented by ma- 



terial from Douglas (Jour. Bact., 62, 1951, 

 517). 



Spheres, 0.5 to 1.5 microns in diameter, 

 occurring singly, in pairs, tetrads and ir- 

 regular groups. Non-motile. Not encapsu- 

 lated. Gram-positive. 



Gelatin: Liquefaction. 



Agar colonies: Circular, 0.5 to 1.0 mm in 

 diameter, smooth, entire, low convex, 

 opaque, grayish white, butyrous. 



Growth in fluid medium: In peptone yeast 

 extract broth, growth moderately heavy, 

 cloudy; no odor; no visible gas. Growth not 

 enhanced by glucose. 



Litmus milk: Slight reduction. 



Indole not produced. 



Hydrogen sulfide is produced. 



Cell organisms and growing cultures de- 

 compose glycine to CO2 , NH3 and acetic 

 acid. Other amino acids, purines, lactate 

 and malate not decomposed. No acid pro- 

 duction or growth enhancement by sugars 

 although chemical analyses show that small 

 amounts of glucose are utilized by all 

 strains. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates; ni- 

 trites not reduced. 



Coagulase-negative. 



Catalase-positive. 



Anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature, 37° C. Growth 

 between 25° and 37° C. 



Optimum pH, 7.0; pH range, 6.5 to 8.5. 



Non-hemolytic. 



Distinctive characters: No visible gas 

 production; glycine fermented to CO2 , 

 NH3 and acetic acid; liquefaction of gelatin 

 and variable cell size distinguish this 

 species from Peptococcus anaerohius. 



Source: Isolated from the female genital 

 tract; also from a normal tonsil and a drain- 

 ing sinus. 



Habitat: Human sources so far as known. 



11. Peptococcus anaerobius (Hamm, 

 1912) Douglas, comb. nov. (Anaerobic 

 staphylococcus, Jungano, Compt. rend. 

 Soc. Biol., Paris, 59, 1907, 707; Staphylococ- 

 cus anaerobius Hamm, Die puerperale Wun- 

 dinfektion, Berlin, 1912; not Staphylococcus 

 anaerobius Heurlin, Bakt. Unters. d. Keim- 

 gehaltes im Genitalkanale d. fiebernden 

 Wochnerinnen, Helsingfors, 1910, 120; 



