626 



ORDER IV. EUBACTERIALES 



Biotin necessary for growth. 



Lecithinase reaction variable. 



Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. Growth 

 with vigorous production of gas in glucose 

 broth under anaerobic conditions. 



Temperature relations: Optimum, be- 

 tween 28° and 35° C. Maximum, for the 

 majority of the strains, 40° C. No growth at 

 45° C. 



Antibiotic substance (polymyxin) ob- 

 tained from cultures of a certain strain 

 (Stansly, Shepherd and White, Bull. Johns 

 Hopkins Hosp., 81, 1947, 43; also see Stansly 

 and Schlosser, Jour. Bact., 54, 1947, 549). 



Source: Isolated from grain, soil and pas- 

 teurized milk. 



Habitat : Widely distributed in soil, water, 

 milk, feces and decaying vegetables. 



13. Bacillus macerans Schardinger, 

 1905. (Rottebazillus 1, Schardinger, Wien. 

 Klin. Wochnschr., 17, 1904, 207; Schar- 

 dinger, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., U, 1905, 

 772.) 



ma'ce.rans. L. part. adj. macerans to 

 soften by steeping, to ret. 



Rods, 0.5 to 0.7 by 2.5 to 5.0 microns, not 

 in chains. Motile. Gram-variable. 



Spores, 1.0 to 1.5 by 1.2 to 2.5 microns, 

 ellipsoidal, subterminal to terminal. Spore 

 wall thick and easily stained. 



Sporangia definitely swollen, clavate. 



Gelatin stab: Liquefaction variable owing 

 to the low temperature. 



Gelatin agar streak plate: Fair to good 

 zone of hydrolysis. 



Agar colonies: Thin, transparent to whit- 

 ish, spreading, irregular. Rough stage small 

 and compact. 



Agar slants: Growth thin, spreading or 

 restricted, inconspicuous to whitish. 



Glucose agar slants: Growth heavier than 

 on agar, usually with the production of gas. 



Glucose nitrate agar slants: Very scant, 

 if any, growth. 



Proteose-peptone acid agar slants: No 

 growth. 



Soybean agar slants: Growth usually as 

 good as or better than on agar; sometimes 

 gas is produced. 



Stock culture agar slants: Growth gen- 



erally better than on agar. Usually no gas 



Broth: Turbidity light, uniform to gran- 

 ular, with or without flocculent sediment. 



NaCl broth: No growth in 5 per cent 

 NaCl. 



Milk: Acid and gas. No visible peptoniza- 

 tion. 



Milk agar streak plate: Very small, if 

 any, zone of hydrolysis of the casein. 



Potato: Inconspicuous or scant growth 

 with the production of much gas 'and de- 

 composition of the potato. 



Indole not produced. 



Acid and usually gas (with ammonium 

 salts as source of nitrogen) from arabinose, 

 rhamnose, xylose, glucose, sucrose, lactose, 

 mannitol and sorbitol (the production of 

 gas can best be demonstrated by growing 

 the cultures at 37° C. on the following me- 

 dia: agar plus 1 per cent potato starch, po- 

 tato plugs or wheat mash as used for the 

 production of crj'stalline dextrins). 



Starch hydrolyzed. Crystalline dextrins 

 produced from starch. 



Acetylmethylcarbinol not produced. Ace- 

 tone and ethanol produced. 



pH of glucose broth cultures is 5.0 or 

 lower. 



Citrates not utilized. 



Methylene blue reduced and then com- 

 pletely reoxidized. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. No gas 

 produced in nitrate broth under anaerobic 

 conditions. 



Biotin and thiamine are essential for 

 growth. 



Lecithinase reaction negative or faint. 



Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. Usually 

 there is growth with the production of gas 

 in glucose broth under anaerobic conditions 

 (neutral broth is better than the alkaline 

 broth generally prepared for this test). 



Temperature relations: Optimum, be- 

 tween 28° and 40° C. Maximum, usually 

 between 45° and 50° C. 



Source: Isolated from vats in which flax 

 was retting. 



Habitat: Widely distributed in soil, watei', 

 decomposing starchy materials, retting 

 flax, etc. 



14. Bacillus alvei Cheshire and Cheyne, 



