FAMILY X. LACTOBACILLACEAE 



517 



merited. Raffinose fermented bj' the group 

 G strains. Inulin, glycerol, mannitol and 

 sorbitol not fermented. 



Starch not hydrolyzed. Gelatin not lique- 

 fied. 



Sodium hippurate not hydrolyzed. Escu- 

 lin split. 



Ammonia produced from arginine. 



Oxidizes butja-ic acid with the production 

 of hydrogen peroxide (Niven, Evans and 

 White, Jour. Bact., J^9, 1945, 105). 



Requires folic acid for growth in simplified 

 media (Niven, Washburn and Sherman, 

 Jour. Bact., 51, 1946, 128). 



Reciuires high carbon dioxide tension or 

 an unsaturated fatty acid for growth in 

 simplified media (Deibel, Thesis, Univ. of 

 Chicago, 1952). 



Comments: All of the minute streptococci 

 do not adhere to the original description of 

 Streptococcus anginosus as given by An- 

 drewes and Border. The minute streptococci 

 comprise a homogeneous group based upon 

 physiological characteristics other than 

 those originally employed by these investi- 

 gators ; also it will be noted that this species, 

 as herein described, contains representa- 

 tives that belong to two different serological 

 groups. Further study of these microor- 

 ganisms is needed to establish definitely the 

 validity of this precedent. Minor differences 

 between the group F and the minute group 

 G streptococci may warrant the establish- 

 ment of two separate varieties within this 

 species or an ultimate separation into two 

 separate species (Sherman, Bact. Rev., /, 

 1937,3). 



Source: Human throat, sinuses, abscesses, 

 vagina, skin, feces. Has been associated 

 with glomerular nephritis and various types 

 of mild respiratory diseases. 



Habitat: Human respiratory tract. 



8. Streptococcus agalactiae Lehmann 

 and Neumann, 1896. (Streptococcus de la 

 mammite, Nocard and MoUereau, Ann. 

 Inst. Past., 1, 1887, 109; Streptococcus 

 nocardi Trevisan, I generi e le specie delle 

 Batteriacee, 1889, 30; Streptococcus agalac- 

 tiae contagiosae Kitt, Bakterienkunde, 

 Wien, 1893, 322; Lehmann and Neumann, 

 Bakt. Diag., 1 Aufl., 2, 1896, 126; Strepto- 



coccus ttiastitidis Migula, Syst. d. Bakt., 2, 

 1900, 19.) 



a.ga.lac'ti.ae. Gr. noun agalactia want of 

 milk, agalactia; M.L. gen. noun agalactiae of 

 agalactia. 



Spherical or ovoid cells 0.6 to 1.2 microns 

 in diameter, occurring in chains of seldom 

 less than four cells and frequently very long. 

 Chains may appear to be composed of paired 

 cocci. 



Serology: Constitutes Lancefield's group 

 B. May be subdivided into a number of 

 serological types by the precipitin tech- 

 nique on the basis of the capsular carbohy- 

 drate "S" substance. The type-specific 

 polysaccharides appear to have a direct 

 relationship to virulence, and the antibodies 

 to which they give rise are concerned with 

 the specific protective action of immune 

 sera. Some strains may lack the "S" sub- 

 stance. 



There is a difference of opinion as to 

 whether the serological types indigenous to 

 man and cattle are distinct (Lancefield, 

 Harvey Lectures, Ser. XXXVI, 1940, 251; 

 Simmons and Keogh, Austral. Jour. Exp. 

 Biol. Med. Sci., 18, 1940, 151; Brown, Proc. 

 Fifth Internat. Congress Microbiol., Rio 

 de Janeiro, 1950, in press). 



Action on blood: About half the strains 

 produce narrow but clear zones of hemoly- 

 sis on blood agar. A few may produce broad 

 zones of hemolysis. The other strains pro- 

 duce greening (alpha hemolytic) reaction. 

 The hemolytic strains produce a soluble 

 hemolysin that is moderately sensitive to 

 heat and acid and that is distinct from 

 streptolysins O and S. 



Some strains produce a yellow, orange or 

 brick-red pigment in stab cultures. May 

 also be noted as an orange sediment in 

 broth cultures, especially when starch is 

 added. 



Not fibrinolytic. 



Temperature relations: Optimum tem- 

 perature, 37° C. No growth at 10° or 45° C. 

 Does not survive 60° C. for 30 minutes. 



Tolerance tests : Usually grows in presence 

 of 4 per cent NaCl but not in 6.5 per cent 

 NaCl. Does not grow in milk containing 0.1 

 per cent methylene blue or in broth ad- 

 justed to pH 9.6. Usually grows on blood 

 agar containing 40 per cent bile. 



