336 JACK J. HINMAN, JR., AND MAX LEVINE 



genes test). The litmus was reduced, there was no coagulation of 

 the medium and no apparent change in 10 days at 37C. At this 

 time the milk coagulated on heating, and melting the paraffine seal 

 by gently heating showed that there was but a very small amount of 

 gas developed in the medium. The organism does not give the 

 characteristic B. sporogenes or B. Welchii test. 



INDOL FORMATION] ; 



Tests for indol were made on all strains in 7 days culture of broth 

 and peptone with negative results. 



NITRATE REDUCTION 



All cultures reduced nitrates to nitrites when grown in nitrate 

 broth for 5 days at 37C. 



FERMENTATION OF CARBOHYDRATES 



Glucose neutral red broth. Four cultures and B. coli as a control 

 were inoculated into (a) freshly heated neutral red glucose broth 

 and (b) old unheated neutral red glucose broth, in Smith tubes, 

 and incubated at body temperature. 



In the freshly heated medium B. coli formed 25 per cent gas in 

 24 hours, but there was no reduction of the neutral red, while in the 

 closed arm of the tubes of the old unheated medium the indicator 

 was reduced to a canary yellow as is to be expected for B. coli. 



The test cultures reacted in a similar manner, i.e. the dye was 

 reduced in the unheated medium but not in the same medium which 

 had been freshly heated. The gas formation was very meagre, in 

 no instance being more than 5 per cent. There was no change in 

 48 hours. 



Glucose peptone phosphate. Seven strains and B. coli, as a control, 

 were tested for acid and gas production in 0.5 per cent peptone, 

 glucose, dipotassium phosphate in Smith fermentation tubes. 



The results are indicated in table 2. 



Starch peptone water. Five strains were grown in 1 per cent arrow- 

 root starch peptone water (Andrade indicator). There was very 

 vigorous fermentation with acid and gas production. Both hydro- 

 gen and carbon dioxide were formed and the Voges Proskauer reac- 

 tion was negative. 



