490 ORDER IV. EUBACTERIALES 



Agar deep colonies: Small. No gas bubbles Indole and skatole not produced. 



produced. Cultures have a slightly disagree- Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



able, rancid odor. Survive over two months. Neutral red and phenosafranin are not re- 

 Peptone water: Very meager growth duced. 



which precipitates. Non-hemolytic. 



Glucose broth: Uniformly turbid; slight, Strictly anaerobic. 



white sediment. No acidification detectable Temperature relations: Grows well at 



by chemical titration. Ammonia produced 35° C. but not at 25° C. 



with a mixture of propionic and acetic acids. Not pathogenic for mice or guinea pigs. 



No lactic or succinic acid. Volatile amines, Distinctive characters: Digestion of milk 



aldehydes and acetone are present, but no and liquefaction of gelatin. Survival for two 



alcohol, acetylmethylcarbinol, phenol or months. 



cresol. Source: Isolated from pus from a case of 



Milk: Digested. vulvovaginitis in a child. 

 Coagulated serum and fibrin : Partially Habitat : Found in the urogenital tract of 



attacked. man. Distribution in nature unknown. 



FAMILY IX. BREVIBACTERIACEAE BREED, 1953.* 



(Riassunti delle Comunicazioni, VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, /, 1953, 13; 

 also see Atti del VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 1955, 10.) 



Brev.i.bac.te.ri.a'ce.ae. M.L. neut.n. Brevihacterium type genus of the family; -aceae 

 suffix to denote a family; M.L. fem.pl.n. Brevihacleriaceae the Brevihacterium family. 



Cells without endospores. Rod-shaped, varying from a quite short, almost coccoid form 

 to a rather long, straight, unbranched rod. Motile or non-motile, the motile species being 

 peritrichous or, occasionally, monotrichous. Gram-positive. Red, reddish orange, yellow 

 or brown pigments may be produced. Carbohydrates may or may not be attacked. Aerobic 

 and facultatively anaerobic species occur. Found in dairy products, soil, salt and fresh 

 water and decomposing substances of a great variety of types. 



Key to the genera of family Brevibacteriaceae. 

 I. Short, almost coccoid, unbranched rods which do not form filaments. Acid usually 

 produced from simple carbohydrates. 



Genus I. Brevihacterium, p. 490. 

 II. Long, unbranched rods which may form filaments; the filaments may subdivide into 

 coccoid elements. Carbohydrates not utilized. 



Genus II. Kurthia, p. 503. 



Genus I. Brevibacterium Breed, 1953. 

 (Riassunti delle Comunicazioni, VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 1953, 13; 

 also see Atti del VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 1955, 12.) 

 Brev.i.bac.te'ri.um. L. adj. hrevis short; Gr. dim. noun hacterium a small rod; M.L. 

 neut.n. Brevihacterium a short rodlet. 



Typically short, unbranching rods. Generally non-motile; type of motility of motile 

 species peritrichous or uncertain. Sometimes chromogenic, with non-water-soluble reddish, 

 reddish orange, yellow or brown pigments. May or may not reduce nitrates. Glucose broth 

 usually becomes acid; lactose not fermented. Proteolytic action varies with the species. 



* Prepared by Prof. Robert S. Breed, Cornell University, Geneva, New York, October. 

 1954. 



