FAMILY II. VITREOSCILLACEAE 



847 



Habitat: Found in fertilized soil and in 

 polluted water. 



4. Vitreoscilla catenula Pringsheim, 

 1951. (Jour. Gen. Microbiol., 5, 1951, 130.) 



ca.te'nu.la. M.L. noun catenula a .small 

 chain. 



Trichomes, 1.5 to 2.0 microns in diameter, 

 may be cylindrical and of almost uniform 

 width. Usually there are constrictions be- 

 tween the cells, which are then barrel- 

 shaped. The cells generally measure 3.0 to 

 4.0, sometimes up to 6.0, microns in length. 

 The trichomes may break up into short 

 fragments or grow to some length. Motile. 

 Gram-negative. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Agar: Growth in curls without loose ends, 

 otherwise similar to that of Vitreoscilla 

 beggiatoides Pringsheim. 



Liquid media: Growth similar to that of 

 Vitreoscilla beggiatoides. 



Casein not digested. 



Distinctive characters: The bead-like 

 appearance of the cells is correlated with a 

 greater tendency to break up into shorter 

 lengths than is found in Vitreoscilla beg- 

 giatoides. Verjr long trichomes are rarely 

 found. 



Relationship to other species: Due to the 

 constrictions between the cells, the tri- 

 chomes resemble those found in the blue- 

 green genus Pseudanabaena, especially P. 

 tenuis Koppe. 



Source: Isolated several times from 

 ditches between meadows in Cherry Hinton, 

 Cambridge; later isolated from an infusion 

 of cow dung from the same meadow. 



Habitat: Found in decomposing organic 

 material. 



5. Vitreoscilla paludosa Pringsheim, 

 1951. (Bact. Rev., 13, 1949, 72; also see Jour. 

 Gen. Microbiol., 5, 1951, 133.) 



pa.lu.do'sa. L. adj. paludosus boggy, 

 marshy. 



Trichomes 1.8 to 2.0 microns in diameter 

 and very long, 300 and more microns in 

 length. Subdivision occurs into cylindrical, 

 often slightly curved, cellular sections, 30 

 to 70 microns in length, separated by deep 

 constrictions at which they readily break. 

 Branching sometimes occurs. Old cells con- 



tain spherical granules or droplets. Verj^ 

 actively motile. Gram-negative. 



Gelatin: No liquefaction. 



Agar: Young aggregations, composed of 

 parallel trichomes, grow to form elongated, 

 slender, pointed, often Y-shaped colonies. 

 Older colonies possess an inner concentric 

 structure reminiscent of brain convolu- 

 tions; flame-like processes at the edges 

 grow out into long, curved and anastomos- 

 ing tongues from which single trichomes 

 emerge, commencing further systems of 

 growth. 



Liquid media: Trichomes form a film on 

 the glass surface or produce cotton-like 

 floccules; sediment eventually produced. 



Casein not digested. 



Distinctive characters: Grows well and 

 rapidly in liquid media. Not fastidious in 

 food requirements. 



Relationship to other species: Growth on 

 bacteriological agar is so luxuriant that it 

 can scarcely be distinguished from that of 

 Escherichia coli Castellani and Chalmers. 



Source: Isolated from material from the 

 mill pond above Flatford Mill Field Centre, 

 England. 



Habitat: Commonly found in decom- 

 posing organic material. 



6. Vitreoscilla stricta Pringsheim, 1949. 

 (Bact. Rev., 13, 1949, 72; also see Jour. Gen. 

 Microbiol., 5, 1951, 139.) 



stric'ta. L. part. adj. strictus drawn so as 

 to have no slack. 



Rigid trichomes, 1.6 to 1.8 microns in 

 diameter, relatively short, measuring up 

 to 30 microns in length. The cells are, on 

 the average, one and one -half times as long 

 as they are wide. Terminal cells are rounded 

 at the tip. The trichomes bend slowly and 

 only to a small extent; true locomotion has 

 not been observed. Generally the trichomes 

 adhere to a surface with one end while the 

 free end slowly oscillates. Gram-negative. 



Comment: This species has not been 

 grown in pure culture. 



Source : Found in a pond with water fowl 

 and in a pond polluted l)y cattle, both bodies 

 of water containing iron organisms and a 

 multitude of pigmented flagellates. 



Habitat : Found in fresh water containing 

 decomposing organic material. 



