24 



MAX LEVINE 



difficultly fermented disaccharids, trisaccharid, alcohols, and glucosid 

 studied. No attempt will therefore be made to explain this phenome- 

 non with lactose, except to suggest that it may possibly be attributed 

 to the small number of museum strains studied. 



An inspection of Plot IV and Table 11 indicates that all the 167 

 strains studied considered, the Voges-Proskauer-positive organisms 

 form less acid from glucose than do the Voges-Proskauer-negative 

 strains, and about equal quantities from galactose, mannitol, and lac- 

 tose. In all other test substances maltose, salicin, raffinose, dulcitol, 

 glycerol, and sucrose the Voges-Proskauer-positive strains give rise 

 to more acid, the excess increasing in the order named. The differ- 



TABLE 11 



ACID-PRODUCTION IN FERMENTABLE SUBSTANCES BY VOGES-PROSKAUER-POSITIVE AND -NEGATIVE 



BACILLUS-COLI-LlKE BACTERIA 



ences obtained in salicin, raffinose, and possibly glucose, are probably 

 not significant, on account of the variations observed in acid-produc- 

 tion from these substances. 



THE SUPPOSED Loss OF FERMENTING POWER BY B. COLI IN ITS 

 PASSAGE THROUGH SEWAGE 



Browne observed that colon-bacillus-like organisms from oysters 

 formed less acid from glucose than did similar organisms derived 

 from man. He concludes : "The bacillus coli isolated from f eces, both 

 from laboratory assistants and from the immigrants of the 5. S. Roma, 

 produced more acid in dextrose and lactose broth than the colon bacil- 

 lus isolated from oysters. This seems to indicate that Bacillus coli 

 loses some of its ability to ferment carbohydrate with the production 



