92 MICRO-ORGANISMS AND FERMENTATION. 



whether Sarcina or the rod bacteria, which are also present, 

 are the actual cause of the disease ; it is only known that in 

 red beer the presence of Sarcina is a symptom of abnormal 

 conditions ; whether it is the cause or the result can only be 

 decided by direct experiment. 



In the fresh residues from the distillation of spirit, which 

 are employed as fodder, BRAUTIGAM found a sarcina-like micro- 

 coccus, which possesses pathogenic properties. It has not yet 

 been determined by direct experiments whether the so-called 

 " malanders " or " greasy heels " of domestic animals is caused 

 by this organism. 



LINDNER examined a series of sarcina-like organisms, and 

 contributed largely to our knowledge of their life-histories. 

 The so-called Pediococcus cerevisice appears in cultures in 

 the form of cocci, diplococci, or tetrads. Cultures made on 

 meat broth with peptone gelatine, partially covered with 

 thin plates of gypsum, showed that free access of air is 

 favourable to the growth of colonies of this bacterium ; during 

 the first few days all the colonies were found to be colourless ; 

 subsequently a yellowish, or yellowish-brown tinge appeared. 

 The gelatine was not liquefied. Streak cultures of this 

 organism on meat-broth gelatine gave a greyish-white, moist 

 streak, with almost smooth edges, strongly iridescent in thin 

 layers. In puncture-cultivations it developed throughout the 

 length of the puncture, forming a white tuft on the surface of 

 the gelatine, which spread out like a leaf. On boiled slices of 

 potato this species thrives but poorly; in older cultures of this 

 kind peculiar involution forms appear. In meat-broth gelatine 

 the organism was killed by eight minutes' heating at 60 C., 

 but not at 50 to 55 C. after the lapse of 12 minutes. In 

 hopped beer-wort it yields a sediment, and subsequently forms 

 a film. The formation of acid in the liquid, due to the action 

 of this Pediococcus, is very slight. LINDNER assumes that traces 

 of lactic acid are formed. He states that in no case was he 

 able to produce any real disease in wort or beer by inoculating 

 these liquids with a vigorous growth of this bacterium ; he 

 concludes that the change in flavour of the beer may not be 

 caused by this species, but by other bacteria co-existing in the 

 infected beer. 



