FAMILY IX. BREVIBACTERIACEAE 



495 



brunneus Copeland, Rept. Filtration Comm. 

 Pittsburgh, 1899, 348.) 



brun'ne.um. M.L. adj. brunneus dark 

 brown. 



Cells rod-shaped, 0.5 micron in width. 

 Non-motile. Gram stain not recorded. 



Gelatin colonies: Surface colonies are 

 flesh-colored; deep colonies are brownish. 

 Liquefaction. 



Gelatin stab: Beaded growth along the 

 stab; gelatin turns deep brown; sunken, 

 flesh-colored surface growth. 



Agar slant: Growth slight, very thin, 

 glistening, spreading. 



Broth: Not turbid; no pellicle. 



Potato: Red to reddish brown streak. 



Plain milk: Coagulated; casein digested; 

 brownish whey. 



Litmus milk: Reaction unchanged. 



Indole not produced. 



No acid from glucose, lactose or sucrose. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Coagulated blood serum: No visible 

 growth. 



Growth at 18° and 37° C. Thermal death 

 point, about 50° C. 



Relationships to other species: This or- 

 ganism seems to be the same as Corynebac- 

 terium bruneum as described by Lehmann 

 and Neumann (Bakt. Diag., 7 Aufl., 2, 1927, 

 708); this species is reported to be Gram- 

 positive. 



Source: Isolated from Pittsburgh tap 

 water. 



6. Brevibacterium vitarumen (Knutsen, 

 1928) Breed, comb. nov. (Flavobacterium vi- 

 tarumen Knutsen, in Bechdel, Honeywell, 

 Dutcher and Knutsen, Jour. Biol. Chem., 

 80, 1928, 234.) 



vi.ta.ru'men L. noun vita life; L. noun 

 rumen throat, gullet, rumen; M.L. noun vi- 

 tarumen rumen-life. 



Rod -shaped cells, 0.5 to 1.5 by 0.5 to 3.0 

 microns, with rounded ends, occuring singly 

 and occasionally in pairs. Non-motile. 

 Gram-positive. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Gelatin colonies: Similar to those on agar. 



.\gar colonies: Those on the surface are 

 1 to 4 mm in diameter, while the embedded 

 colonies are somewhat smaller. 



Agar slant: Growth filiform and pale 

 lemon-yellow. 



Lead acetate agar: No growth. 



Endo medium: No growth. 



Broth: Turbid, becoming clear; sediment; 

 no pellicle. 



Litmus milk: Turns acid; slight reduction 

 of litmus; no curd. 



Indole and skatole are not produced. 



Acid from glucose, sucrose and maltose. 

 No acid from xylose, lactose, mannitol, 

 inositol, sorbitol or dulcitol. 



Starch not hydrolyzed. 



Cellulose not attacked. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



Distinctive characters: Produces vitamin 

 B complex in the rumina of cows. Because 

 of this, cattle, unlike any other species of 

 animal yet studied, have the ability to grow 

 to maturity, to produce normal offspring 

 and to produce milk of normal dietary com- 

 position on a ration that carries an insuffi- 

 cient amount of vitamin B complex to 

 support growth and well being in rats. 



Comments: Dutcher (personal communi- 

 cation, January, 1955) states that it is now 

 evident that the chief substance synthesized 

 by this species was riboflavin and that 

 many other species of bacteria are now 

 known that are more efficient as synthesizers 

 of riboflavin than is this species. 



Source: Isolated from the fermented ru- 

 men contents of a Holstein cow. 



Habitat: Found in the rumina of cows 

 and, presumably, other ruminants where it 

 constitutes about 90 per cent of the micro- 

 flora as manifested on plain nutrient agar. 



7. Brevibacterium maris (Harrison, 

 1929) Breed, 1953. {Flavobacterium maris 

 Harrison, Canadian Jour. Research, 1 , 1929, 

 232; Breed, Riassunti delle Comunicazioni, 

 VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., 

 Roma, 1, 1953, 14; also see Atti del VI 

 Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 

 1955, 14.) 



mar'is. L. noun mare the sea; L. gen. noun 

 maris of the sea. 



Rods, 0.7 to 0.8 by 1.0 to 1.2 microns, 

 occurring singly and in pairs. At 37° C, 

 coccoid. Encapsulated. Non-motile. Gram- 

 positive. 



