NON-PATHOGENIC MICROCOCCI. 617 



230. SARCINA ALBA (Eisenberg). 



Found in the air and in water. 



Morphology. Small cocci, associated in pairs or in tetrads. 



Biological Characters. An aerobic, liquefying (very slightly) sarcina. 

 Grows very slowly at the room temperature in the usual culture media. 

 Upon gelatin plates forms small, round, white colonies. In gelatin stick 

 cultures forms a white, button-like mass at point of puncture ; scanty 

 growth along line of inoculation. Upon potato grows very slowly in the 

 form of a yellowish- white layer limited to the line of inoculation. 



231. SARCINA CANDIDA (Reinke). 



Found in the air about breweries. 



Morphology. Micrococci of 1.5 to 1.7 n in diameter, solitary, in pairs, or 

 in tetrads; under certain circumstances, as for example in hay infusion, 

 multiplication occurs in three directions, forming sarcina-like packets. 



Biological Characters. Anaerobic, liquefying sarcina. Grows slowly 

 at the room temperature in the usual culture media. Upon gelatin plates 

 forms shining white, spherical colonies, which later have a yellowish color 

 and are surrounded by liquefied gelatin. In gelatin stick cultures causes 

 rapid liquefaction along the line of puncture. Upon the surface of agar 

 forms a white, moist, shining layer with smooth margins. 



232. SARCINA PULMONUM (Hauser). 



Found in the sputum of patients with phthisis. 



Morphology. Micrococci, from 1 to 1.5 /a in diameter; usually associated 

 in tetrads, but may form cubical groups of eight cells. 



Biological Characters. An aerobic, non-liquefying sarcina. Grows 

 slowly in the usual culture media at the room temperature. Upon gelatin 

 plates in three days white, puiictiform colonies are seen ; later these still re- 

 main small; under a low power they are seen to be coarsely granular. In 

 gelatin stick cultures the development is very scanty along the line of punc- 

 ture ; upon the surface a round, sharply denned layer of a pearl -gray color 

 is developed ; later this becomes tolerably thick, is grayish-brown in color, 

 glistening, and has more or less folded and irregular margins. The growth 

 upon potato is very scanty and is confined to the line of inoculation. 



This sarcina is said by Hauser to form endogenous spores which may be 

 demonstrated by Neisser's method of staining, and which have great resistance 

 to heat. When cultivated in urine it causes ammoniacal decomposition of 

 the urea. 



233. SARCINA VENTRICULI (Goodsir). 



Found in the contents of the stomach of man and animals. 



Morphology. Spherical or slightly oval cells, about 2.5 jit in diameter; 

 united in cubical groups with rounded corners, containing eight elements, 

 and then associated in larger "packets." 



Biological Characters. An aerobic, non-liquefying sarcina. Grows 

 rapidly at the room temperature in suitable media. Upon gelatin plates, at 

 the end of thirty-six to forty-eight hours, hemispherical, yellowish colonies 

 are developed upon the surface ; these contain cocci in pairs and tetrads, 

 but not in cubical packets. In hay infusion development occurs upon the 

 surface in the form of small, brownish scales, while a brownish, flocculent 

 deposit is seen at the bottom of the tube ; the sarcina form is well developed. 

 Upon potato a dry, colorless strip develops along the impfstrich in twenty- 

 four hours; later this acquires a chrome-yellow color. Upon the surface of 

 blood serum flat, round, pale yellow colonies are formed along the line of 

 inoculation. 



