FAMILY XIII. BACILLACEAE 



667 



tion in 8 hours. The meat is reddened, and 

 the liquid becomes turbid. No digestion. 



Anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature, between 35° and 

 37° C. Growth occurs at 50° C. 



An exotoxin is produced for which an anti- 

 toxin can be prepared. 



Pathogenic for guinea pigs, pigeons and 

 mice. 



Distinctive characters: Stormy fermenta- 

 tion of milk; non-motile. 



Comments: Within this species group 

 there exist several types established pri- 

 marily on the basis of the variety and nature 

 of the toxins shown to be present in culture 

 filtrates. Some variation is reported con- 

 cerning the morphological and physiological 

 characteristics of this species. For a review 

 of the characteristics of toxins, see van Hey- 

 ningen (Bacterial Toxins., C. C Thomas, 

 Springfield, 1950, 133 pp.) and Smith (Intro- 

 duction to the Pathogenic Anaerobes, Uni- 

 versity of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1955, 253 

 pp.). For a method of routine typing, see 

 Oakley and Warrack (Jour. Hyg., 51, 1953, 

 102). Type A is the classic human gas gan- 

 grene organism; Type B, lamb dysentery; 

 Type C, "struck" of sheep; Type D, entero- 

 toxemia, or "pulpy kidney" in lambs and 

 grass sickness in horses; Type E, entero- 

 toxemia of animals; Type F, hemorrhagic 

 enteritis and enteritis necroticans, or 

 "Darmbrand," of humans. 



Source: Isolated from cases of gaseous 

 gangrene and from feces, milk and soil. 



Habitat: Widely distributed in feces, sew- 

 age and soil. 



43. Clostridium sphenoides (Bulloch 

 et al., 1919) Bergey et al., 1923. (Bacillus 

 sphenoides Bulloch, Bullock, Douglas, 

 Henry, Mcintosh, O'Brien, Robertson and 

 Wolf, Med. Res. Counc, Spec. Rept. Ser. 

 No. 39, 1919, 43; Bergey et al.. Manual, 1st 

 ed., 1923, 331.) 



sphe.no.i'des. Or. adj. sphenoides wedge- 

 shaped. 



Original description supplemented by 

 material taken from Hall (Jour. Inf. Dis., 

 30, 1922, 502). 



Small, fusiform rods in the vegetative 

 state, occurring singly, in pairs and occa- 

 sionally in short chains. Sporulating cells 



cuneate. Spores spherical, subterminal, be- 

 coming terminal on maturation, swelling 

 the cells. Motile. Gram-positive only in 

 young cultures. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Agar surface colonies (anaerobic) ; Circu- 

 lar or slightly irregular, entire. 



Agar deep colonies: Minute, opaque, 

 smooth discs. 



Egg yolk agar surface colonies: Irregular, 

 moist, relatively smooth to somewhat 

 roughened, colorless, without precipitate 

 or luster. 



Blood agar surface colonies (anaerobic): 

 Minute dew-drops, becoming whitish, 

 opaque. Hemolysis. 



Broth: Turbid. 



Litmus milk: Acid; slowly and softly 

 coagulated. Clot not digested. 



Indole not produced. Indole produced 

 by Tholby strain (Stanley and Spray, Jour. 

 Bact., 4i, 1941, 256). 



Acid and gas from glucose, galactose, 

 maltose, lactose and salicin. Inulin, glycerol 

 and dulcitol not fermented. Strains are ap- 

 parently variable on mannitol, sucrose, 

 dextrin and starch fermentation. 



Nitrates reduced slowly, if at all; nitrites 

 absent (Reed, Jour. Bact., U, 1942, 425). 



Coagulated albumin: No liquefaction. 



Blood serum: No liquefaction. 



Brain medium: No blackening or diges- 

 tion. 



Anaerobic. 



Optimum temperature not determined. 

 Grows well between 30° and 37° C. 



Not pathogenic for guinea pigs or rabbits. 



Source: Isolated from gangrenous war 

 wounds. 



Habitat: Not determined. 



44. Clostridium innominatum Prevot, 

 1938. (Bacillus E, Adamson, Jour. Path, and 

 Bact., 22, 1918-19, 391; Pr6vot, Ann. Inst. 

 Past., 61, 1938, 85.) 



in.no.mi.na'tum. L. adj. innominatus 

 unnamed. 



Very small, thick rods, tapering at one or 

 both ends, occurring singly, in pairs, in 

 chains and in filaments. Involution forms 

 abundant on glucose agar. Spores small, 

 spherical, subterminal, swelling the cells. 



