FAMILY XIII. BACILLACEAE 



653 



action on lactose, sucrose, mannitol or sali- 

 cin. 



Nitrates rapidly reduced; nitrites absent 

 (Reed, Jour. Bact., 4-^, 1942, 425). 



Coagulated albumin: No liquefaction. 



Blood serum: No liquefaction. 



Brain medium: No blackening or diges- 

 tion. 



Anaerobic, although less strict than Types 

 B and C. 



Optimum temperature, between 35° and 

 38° C. 



Produces an exotoxin which is toxic on 

 injection but not on feeding. Four antigenic 

 components have been recognized in toxic 

 filtrates (Oakley, Warrack and Clarke, 

 Jour. Gen. Microbiol., 1, 1947, 91; also see 

 van Heyningen, Bacterial Toxins, C. C 

 Thomas, Springfield, 1950, 42). These in- 

 clude: alpha, classical lethal toxin; gamma, 

 hemolytic lecithinase; delta, oxygen-labile 

 hemolysin; and epsilon, probably pearly- 

 layer-agent in egg-agar. Production of 

 gamma toxin differentiates Type A from 

 Types B and C. 



Produces a species-specific hemolysin for 

 human red blood cells which is neutralized 

 by selected antisera; differentiated from 

 Clostridium septicum on this character. 



Pathogenic for guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, 

 rats and pigeons. 



Comment: Some authors regard Clostri- 

 dium hemolyticum Hauduroy et al., which 

 produces a hemolytic lecithinase, as be- 

 longing to this species. 



Source: Isolated from a guinea pig inocu- 

 lated with peptonized casein; later from a 

 human case of gaseous gangrene. Also iso- 

 lated from human necrotic hepatitis (Mol- 

 laret, Prevot and Gueniot, Ann. Inst. Past., 

 75, 1948, 195). 



Habitat: Probably widely distributed in 

 manured soil. 



21a. Clostridium novyi Type B, Scott et 

 al., 1934. (Bacillus gigas Zeissler and Rass- 

 feld. Arch. Wiss. u. Prakt. Tierheilk., 59, 

 1929, 419; Scott, Turner and Vawter, Proc. 

 12th Internat. Vet. Cong., N. Y., 2, 1934, 

 175.) 



Large rods, 1.2 to 2.0 by 10.0 to 14.0 mi- 

 crons, occurring singh', in pairs or in chains 

 of 3 to 4 elements. Spores ovoid, most fre- 

 quently subterminal, onlj^ slightly swelling 



the cells. Motile by means of peritrichous 

 flagella. Gram-positive. 



Gelatin: Good growth. No liquefaction. 



Glucose-gelatin: Good growth. Liquefac- 

 tion after two weeks of incubation. 



Glucose blood agar surface colonies: Del- 

 icate, thin, fiat plaques of fine filaments, 

 dull surface, scarcely raised above surface 

 of medium. Hemolysis variable. 



Egg yolk surface colonies: Small, irregu- 

 lar, transparent, producing a wide (8 mm in 

 diameter), regular, sharply defined circle 

 of precipitation, without luster, under and 

 beyond the colony. 



Agar deep colonies: Lenticular or bicon- 

 vex disc, sometimes with outgrowths or 

 filamentous, woolly colonies with opaque 

 center or bursting-grenade colony type. 



Glucose broth: Abundant growth with 

 gas; flocculent sediment. 



Meat infusion broth: Growth less abun- 

 dant than in glucose broth; little or no gas; 

 sediment. 



Cooked meat medium: Good growth; gas; 

 meat not blackened. 



Milk: Reports variable; little action long 

 dela3^ed, possibly late coagulation without 

 digestion. 



Glucose, galactose and fructose are fer- 

 mented. Action on glycerol and maltose 

 variable. No action on lactose, sucrose, 

 rhamnose, dulcitol, mannitol, inulin or sali- 

 cin. 



Coagulated egg albumin: No digestion. 



Brain medium: No blackening unless iron- 

 nail added. 



Strictlj- anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature, apparently 37° C; 

 growth occurs between 24° and 43° C. 



An exotoxin is produced which is toxic on 

 injection but not on feeding. Three antigenic 

 components have been recognized in toxic 

 filtrates (Oakley, Warrack and Clarke, Jour. 

 Gen. Microbiol., 1, 1947, 91). These include: 

 alpha, classical lethal toxin; beta, hemolytic 

 lecithinase; and zeta, oxj^gen-stable hemoly- 

 sin. Production of beta to.xin differentiates 

 Type B from Types A and C. 



Pathogenic for sheep, cows, horses, pigs, 

 fowls, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice. 



Source: Isolated from black disease (in- 

 fectious necrotic hepatitis) of sheep in Aus- 

 tralia. Also isolated from similar diseases 



