708 LEPTOTRICHE^E AND CLADOTRICHE^E. 



439. CLADOTHRIX INTRICATA (Russell). 



Obtained by Russell (1891) from mud at the bottom of the Gulf of Na- 

 ples. 



Morphology. Differs considerably, according to the age of the culture 

 and the culture medium. In gelatin it forms long filaments made up of long 

 and slender cells having homogeneous contents. In potato cultures the cells 

 are shorter and with rounded ends; these elements divide into several short 

 and thick separate cells, and many of these finally contain a slender, oblong 

 spore. The filaments in agar and potato cultures may present the appear- 

 ance characteristic of the genus Cladothrix, viz. , a false branching. 



Stains with the usual aniline colors. 



Biological Characters. An aerobic, liquefying, slightly motile clado- 

 thrix. Forms long-oval spores. Grows in the usual culture media at the room 

 temperature. Upon gelatin plates colonies are developed in from twenty- 

 four to thirty-six hours ; these resemble, to the naked eye, colonies of mould 

 fungi ; under a low power the interior of the colony is seen to be made up 

 of a thick network of filaments, from which a quantity of curled and inter- 

 twined filaments extend in all directions. The outside filaments are often 

 tolerably straight, but they soon become more or less spiral and intertwined, 

 or are united into interwoven, braid-like masses which extend in various 

 directions from the principal colony. Liquefaction of the gelatin quickly 

 occurs, and the filaments form in the liquefied gelatin a felt-like mass. 

 When a cover glass is placed over a young colony and a microscopical ex- 

 amination is made with a tolerably high power, the straight filaments at the 

 margin of the colony are seen to present pseudo-branches. In gelatin stick 

 cultures development is rapid ; at the end of twenty-four hours the line of 

 inoculation is marked by finely curled filaments, which extend horizontally 

 into the gelatin in all directions, the growth being most abundant near the 

 surface. The gelatin near the surface is soon liquefied, and the liquefaction 

 gradually extends downward. Upon potato an irregular, dull-white mass is 

 quickly developed which is not especially characteristic ; this ceases to ex- 

 tend after three days. Upon agar a tolerably abundant but thin, dull white 

 layer is developed, and fine filaments extend from this into the culture me- 

 dium, giving the culture a characteristic appearance. An abundant devel- 

 opment occurs in bouillon and a jelly-like mass accumulates at the bottom 

 of the tube ; this is readily broken up by shaking the tube. 



