208 



MANUAL OF DETERMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



glycerol, glucose, lactate, succinate and 

 malate known to be utilized as hydrogen 

 donors. 



Produces up to 500 ml. H2S per liter. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Reduces sulfate to hydrogen sulfide. 

 Also reduces sulfites, sulfur, thiosulfates 

 and hyposulfites. 



Optimum pll 6 to 7.5, limits pH 5 to 9. 



Optimum temperature 25 to 30° C. 

 Maximum 35 to 40° C. 



Anaerobic. 



Habitat: Soil, sewage, water. 



aestuarii (van 

 nov. {Microspira 



2. Desulfovibrio 

 Delden) comb, 

 aestuarii van Delden, Cent. f. Bakt., II 

 Abt., 11, 1904, 81; Vibrio dcsulfur leans 

 (halophilic strain) Baars, Over Sulfaat- 

 reductie door Bakterien, Diss. Delft, 

 1930, 164 pp.) From Latin, aestuarium, 

 estuary. 



Morphologically indistinguishable from 

 Desulfovibrio desulfur leans described 

 above, although it has a greater tendency 

 to pleomorphism, and is slightly larger. 

 Motile, possessing a polar flagellum. 

 Gram-negative. 



Grows preferentially in media prepared 

 with sea water or 3 per cent salt mineral 

 solution enriched with sulfate and 

 peptone. According to Baars {loc. clt.) 

 the marine species can be acclimatized to 

 tolerate hypotonic salt solutions but 

 Rittenberg (Studies on Marine Sulphate- 

 Reducing Bacteria, Thesis, Univ. of 

 Calif., 1941, 115 pp.) was unable to con- 

 firm this observation. Likewise Ritten- 

 berg was unable to acclimatize D. aes- 

 tuarii to tolerate temperatures exceeding 

 45° C or to produce endospores. 



Produces faint turbidity in absence of 

 oxygen in sea water enriched with sulfate 

 and peptone. Organisms most abundant 

 in sediment. 



Agar colonies: Small, circular, slightly 

 raised, darker centers, entire, soft 

 consistency. 



Gelatin not liquefied. 



Peptone, asparagine, glycine, alanine, 

 glucose, fructose, ethanol, butanol. 



glycerol, acetate, lactate and malate 

 known to be utilized in presence of 

 sulfate. 



Reduces sulfate to hydrogen sulfide. 

 Also reduces sulfites, sulfur, thiosulfates 

 and hyposulfites. 



Produces up to 950 ml. H2S per liter. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Optimum temperature 25° to 30° C. 

 Maximum 35° to 40° C. 



Optimum pH 6 to 8, limits pH 5.5 to 

 8.5. 



Anaerobic. 



Habitat : Sea water, marine mud, brine 

 and oil wells. 



3. Desulfovibrio rubentschickii 



(Baars) eomb. nov. {Vibrio rubent- 

 schickii Baars, Over Sulfaatreductie 

 door Bakterien, Diss. Delft, 1930, 164 

 pp.) Named for L. Rubentschick. 



Slightly curved rods, 0.5 to 1.0 by 

 1 to 5 microns, usually occurring singly, 

 sometimes in pairs and short chains. 

 Actively motile, possessing a polar 

 flagellum. Gram-negative. Morpho- 



logically indistinguishable from Desul- 

 fovibrio desulfuricans. 



Reduces sulfate to hydrogen sulfide. 

 Also reduces sulfites, sulfur, thiosulfates 

 and hyposulfites. 



Culturally and physiologically like 

 D. desulfuricans except that D. rubent- 

 schickii utilizes propionic acid, butyric 

 acid, valeric acid, palmitic acid, stearic 

 acid, galactose, sucrose, lactose and 

 maltose. 



Anaerobic. 



Habitat : Soil and ditch water. 



Appendix : The following species has 

 also been regarded as belonging in this 

 genus. 



Vibrio thermodesulfurlcans Elion. 

 (Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., 63, 1924, 58); 

 Vibrio desulfuricans (thermophilic 

 strain) Baars, Over Sulfaatreductie door 

 Bakterien, Diss. Delft, 1930, 164 pp.; 

 Sporovibrio desulfuricans Starkey (Ko- 

 ninkl. Nederland. Akad. u. Wetenschap- 

 pen, Proc, 41, 1938, 425, also see Arch. f. 



