214 



MANUAL OF DETERMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



Catalase positive. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Aerobic, facultative. 



Optimum temperature 35 °C. 



Habitat : Stagnant water. 



3. Spirillum itersonii Giesberger. 

 (Inaug. Diss., Utrecht, 1936, 46 and 57.) 

 Named for van Iterson, the Dutch bac- 

 teriologist. 



The smallest of the spirilla isolated 

 from water. First observed by van 

 Iterson (Proc. Kon. Akad. v. Wetensch. 

 Amsterdam, 5, 1902, 685). 



Small spirals, 0.5 micron in diameter. 

 Wave length, 3 to 3.5 microns. Spiral 

 width, 1 to 1.5 microns. Motile with 

 bipolar tufts of flagella. Gram-negative. 



Grows readily on peptone agar. White 

 colonies becoming brownish black, and 

 slightly wrinkled. 



Gelatin stab : No liquefaction. 



Brownish-orange growth on potato. 



Volutin granules may be present. 



Catalase is i)roduced. 



Acid from glucose, fructose, ethyl 

 alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, 

 and glycerol. Utilizes acetic, propionic, 

 n-butyric, tartaric, fumaric, lactic, citric, 

 and succinic acids. 



Grows well in peptone broth. Also 

 utilizes ammonia compounds. 



Anaerobic growth in the presence of 

 nitrates when organic or ammonia nitro- 

 gen is also available. 



Optimum temperature : 30°C. 



Source : Isolated from water. 



Habitat: Water. 



4. Spirillxun tenue Ehrenberg. (In- 

 fusionstierchen, 1838; see Bonhoff, Arch, 

 f. Hyg., ^6, 1896, 162.) From Latin, 

 tenuis, thin. 



Slender spirals. Diameter 0.7 micron. 

 Wave lengths 4.5 to 5.0 microns. Width 

 of spiral 1.5 to 1.8 microns. 



Actively motile in peptone water with 

 tufts of flagella at each pole. Volutin 

 granules present. Gram-negative. 



Agar colonies: White, smooth. 



Peptone agar slant : Heavy growth. 



Gelatin stab : No liquefaction. 



Catalase positive. 



Potato : Light brown growth. 



Acid from glucose and fructose. 

 Slight acid from several other sugars and 

 glycerols. Utilizes salts of acetic, pro- 

 pionic, n-butyric, tartaric, lactic, citric, 

 malic, and succinic acids. 



Ammonia compounds are used as a 

 source of nitrogen. 



Optimum temperature, 30 °C. 



Source : Found in putrefying vegetable 

 matter. 



Habitat: Putrefying materials. 



5. Spirillum virginianum Dimitroff. 

 (Jour, of Baet., 1:2, 1926, 19.) From M. 

 L. genitive of Virginia. 



Spirals consisting of J to 3 complete 

 turns in young cultures, older cultures 

 showing 7 turns. 0.6 to 0.9 by 3 to 11 

 microns. Motile with a single polar 

 flagellum on one or both ends. Gram- 

 negative. 



Gelatin colonies: Entire, convex, cir- 

 cular, moist, colorless. 



Gelatin stab : Growth along entire stab. 

 No liquefaction. (Dimitroft", loc. cit.) 

 Active liquefaction. (Giesberger, Inaug. 

 Diss., Utrecht, 1936, 65.) 



Agar colonies: Dew drop, convex, 

 entire, moist, colorless. 



Agar slant : Dew drop, isolated colonies. 



Broth: Cloudy, no flocculation. 



Uschinsky's protein-free medium : 

 Abundant growth. 



Litmus milk: No growth. 



Loeffler's blood serum : Convex, 

 isolated dew drop colonies. No lique- 

 faction. 



Lead acetate agar: No H2S. 



Voges-Proskauer and methyl red nega- 

 tive. 



No volutin granules observed (Gies- 

 berger, loc. cit., p. 60). 



Potato: No growth. 



Indole not formed. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



No acid or gas from carbohydrates.- 



