FAMILY X. LACTOBACILLACEAE 



535 



nose are sometimes fermented. Fermenta- 

 tion products include formic and acetic 

 acids (Prevot, Ann. Inst. Past., 67, 1941, 

 88). 



Neutral red broth: Changed to fluorescent 

 yellow. 



Anaerobic. 



Temperature relations: Optimum, be- 

 tween 36° and 38° C. Grows at 26° but not 

 below 22° C. Survives 5 minutes at 60° C. 

 or two minutes at 80° C. Killed in ten min- 

 utes at 80° C. 



Optimum pH, between 6.0 and 8.0. 



Some strains are pathogenic. 



Distinctive characters: Ver}^ peptolytic; 

 gas produced in peptone water with destruc- 

 tion of the peptone. Differs from Pepto- 

 streptococcus foetidus b}^ being morphologi- 

 cally like a typical streptococcus. Differs 

 from Peptostreptococcus pntridiis by its 

 phj'siology, by its bread-crumb-like growth 

 and by the production of gas in all media. 



Source: Isolated in cases of putrefactive 

 gangrene; war wounds; uterus, lochia and 

 blood in puerperal infections; appendicitis; 

 pleurisy; and amniotic fluid. 



Habitat: Found in the mouth and intes- 

 tines; also from the cavities of man and 

 animals, especially the vagina. Can invade 

 all tissues. 



2. Peptostreptococcus foetidus (Veil- 

 Ion, 1893) Smith, comb. nov. {Micrococcus 

 foetidus Veillon, Compt. rend. Soc. Biol., 

 Paris, 4^, 1893, 867; not Micrococcus foetidus 

 Flugge, Die Mikroorganismen, 2 Aufl., 1886, 

 172; not Micrococcus foetidus Klamann, 

 Allgem. med. Centralzeitung, 1887, 1344; 

 Streptococcus foetidus Prevot, Ann. Sci. Nat., 

 Ser. Bot., 15, 1933, 189; not Streptococcus 

 foetidus Migula, Syst. d. Bakt., 2, 1900, 38.) 



foe'ti.dus. L. adj. foetidus stinking. 



Large spheres, 0.8 to 1.0 micron in diame- 

 ter, occurring normally in short chains; also 

 in tetrads and double or zig-zag chains. Non- 

 motile. Gram-positive. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Semi-solid agar (Veillon): Slow growth; 

 at first punctiform. Small colonies, }i to 

 }-2 mm in diameter, which grow 1 to 2 cm 

 below the surface, regular, thick, lenticular, 

 opaque. Gas bubbles are produced. 



Blood agar colonies: 0.5 to 1.0 mm in di- 



ameter, convex, grayish, entire margin. 

 Small, brownish hemopeptic zone around 

 colonies. No true hemolysis. 



Martin broth: Poor growth; no turbidity; 

 flakes form on wall of tube but rapidly settle 

 to the bottom; little or no gas is produced; 

 very faint, fetid odor. 



Martin glucose broth: Good growth; no 

 turbidity; gas fetid, inflammable. 



Meat and liver broth: Rapid, abundant 

 growth; abundant gas; strong, fetid odor. 

 Milk: No acid; no coagulation. 

 Peptone broth: Gas production is feeble. 

 Indole not produced. 

 Fresh organs become green, then blacken. 

 Much gas is produced which contains hy- 

 drogen sulfide; later the organs are grad- 

 ually disintegrated; partial bioproteolysis 

 and hydrogen sulfide formation. 

 Coagulated protein is not attacked. 

 Acid and gas from glucose, fructose, galac- 

 tose and sucrose. No acid from lactose, malt- 

 ose, arabinose, glycerol, mannitol, dulcitol 

 or starch. 



Neutral red broth: Changed to fluorescent 

 yellow. 

 Anaerobic. 



Temperature relations: Optimum, be- 

 tween 36° and 38° C. Feeble growth at 26° C. 

 No growth below 22° C. Killed in one hour 

 at 60° C. or in ten minutes at 80° C. 

 Optimum pH, between 6.5 and 8.0. 

 Some strains are pathogenic. 

 Comment : A variety of this species, which 

 differs from the parent strain in being 

 smaller in size and in producing more gas 

 in carbohj'drate media, has been reported 

 by Prevot (ibid., 193). 



Source: First isolated from a fatal case 

 of Ludwig's angina; also from perinephritic 

 phlegmon, the fetid pus from Bartholin's 

 gland, gangrene of the lung and appendi- 

 citis. 



Habitat: Found in the mouth, intestines 

 and vagina of man and animals. Common 

 in fetid suppurations and autogenous gan- 

 grenous processes. 



3. Peptostreptococcus putridus 



(Schottmiiller, 1910, emend. Prevot, 1933) 

 Smith, comb. nov. (Streptococctis putridus 

 Schottmiiller, Mitteil. a. d. Grenzgeb. d. 



