FAMILY X. LACTOBACILLACEAE 563 



Long rods, 0.3 by 8.0 microns, with lactose, sucrose, arabinose, xj'lose, manni- 



tapered, rounded or swollen ends, often tol, dulcitol, sorbitol and inositol, 



occurring in short chains or in very long Anaerobic. 



£, , -KT .-I /-I „ „;+;.,„ Optimum temperature, between 37° and 



filaments. Aon-motile. uram-positive. ^^ ^ ' 



Requires serum or ascitic fluid for growth. a- i xu 



^ , , . , ,. -Not pathogenic. 



Gas not produced in culture media. g^^^^^^ j^^j^^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ 



Blood agar colonies: Arborescent. Not caries. 



hemolytic. Habitat: Found in the human mouth. 



Acid from glucose, fructose, mannose, Common. 



Genus IV. Ramibacterium Prevot, 1938* 

 (Ann. Inst. Past., 60, 1938, 294.) 



Ra.mi.bac.te'ri.um. L. mas.n. ramus a branch; Gr. neut.dim.n. bacterium a rodlet;M.L 

 neut.n. Ramibacterium branched rodlet. 



Straight or curved rods which show so-called false branching. Non-motile. Gram-posi- 

 tive. Carbohydrates are attacked, the end-products of fermentation including some of 

 the following: formic, acetic, propionic, butyric, lactic and valerianic acids. Anaerobic. 

 Maj' be pathogenic. Found in the intestinal tracts and in lesions of warm-blooded animals, 

 especially man. 



The type species is Ramibacterium ramosum (Veillon and Zuber) Prevot. 



Key to the species of genus Ramibacterium. 



I. Indole not produced. 



A. Milk coagulated. 



1. Ramibacterium ramosum. 



B. Milk not coagulated. 



2. Ramibacterium pleuriticum. 

 II. Indole produced. 



A. Milk coagulated slowly. 



1. Produces acetic and propionic acids. Pathogenic. 



3. Ramibacterium ramosoides. 



2. Produces formic and valerianic acids and traces of lactic acid. Not pathogenic. 



4. Ramibacterium pseudoramosum. 



B. Milk not coagulated. 



1. Neutral red reduced. 



5. Ramibacterium dentium. 



2. Neutral red not reduced. 



6. Ramibacterium alaciolyticum. 



1. Ramibacterium ramosum (Veillon Straight, slender rods, 0.3 to 0.4 by 2.0 



and Zuber, 1898) Prevot, 1938. (Bacillus to 3.0 microns, which are sometimes undu- 

 ramosus Veillon and Zuber, Arch. med. exp. lating and sometimes filamentous; form 

 et anat. path., 10, 1898, 542; Fusiformis acute, V- and Y-shaped angles, thus giving 

 ramosus Topley and Wilson, Princ. Bact., the appearance of false branching. Possess 

 and Immun., 2nd ed., 1936, 358; Prevot, spherical swellings. Non-motile. Gram- 

 Ann. Inst. Past., 60, 1938, 296.) positive. 



ra.mo'sum. L. adj. ramosus much- Gas produced in moderate amounts in 



branched. culture media. 



* Arranged by Mrs. Eleanore Heist Clise and Mr. ErwinF. Lessel, Jr., Cornell University, 

 Geneva, New York, March, 1955. 



