FAMILY LACTOBACTERIACEAE 



319 



ally associated with other streptococci 

 (Edwards, loc. cit). 



Habitat : Human upper respiratory 

 tract and vagina. 



Streptococcus dysgalactiae Diernhofer 

 (Milchw. Forsch., 13, 1932, 368), Group II 

 Minett (Proc. 12th Internat. Vet. Cong., 

 2, 1934, 511) and Streptococcus pseudoaga- 

 lactiae Plastridge and Hartsell (Jour. Inf. 

 Dis., 61, 1931, 114) appear to be identical 

 (Little, personal communication) . 

 Physiologically these organisms are like 

 Human C types (Streptococcus equisim- 

 ilis Frost and Engelbrecht) except that 

 they are not hemolytic. 



5. Streptococcus agalactiae Lehmann 

 and Neumann. (Streptococcus de la 

 mammite, Nocard and MoUereau, Ann. 

 Inst. Past., 1, 1887, 109; Streptococcus 

 nocardi Trevisan, Igeneri e le specie delle 

 Batteriacee, 1889, 36 (this name rightly 

 has priority and is valid but has remained 

 unused and it would seem unwise to adopt 

 it in place of a name familiar by usage) ; 

 Streptococcus mastitis sporadicae Guille- 

 beau and Streptococcus mastitis con- 

 tagiosae Guillebeau, Landw. Jahrb. d. 

 Schweiz, 4, 1892, 27; abst. in Cent. f. 

 Bakt., 12, 1892, 101 ; Streptococcus agalac- 

 tiae contagiosae Kitt, Bakterienkunde, 

 Wien, 1893, 322 ; Lehmann and Neumann, 

 Bakt. Diag., 1 Aufl., 2, 1896, 126; Strep- 

 tococcus mastitidis Migula, Syst. d. 

 Bakt., 2, 1900, 19.) From Greek, want 

 of milk. 



According to Hucker and Harrison (N. 

 Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bui. 246, 1937, 9), 

 Streptococcus agalactiae Lehmann and 

 Neumann is identical with Group I of 

 Minett, Stableforth and Edwards (Jour. 

 Comp. Path. andTher., ^6, 1933, 131) and 

 Group A of Plastridge, Anderson, Brig- 

 liam and Spaulding (Conn. (Storrs) Agr. 

 Exp. Sta. Bui. 195, 1934). 



Description largely taken from Hansen, 

 N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bui. 232, 1935. 



Spherical or ovoid cells : 0.4 to 1 .2 mi- 

 crons in diameter, occurring in chains of 

 seldom less than four cells and frequently 

 very long ; the longer axis of the cells may 



be in the axis of the chain or may be trans- 

 verse to it. Chains may appear to be 

 composed of paired cocci. Capsules(?). 

 Gram-positive. 



Gelatin stab : Gray, filiform growth. 

 No liquefaction. 



Nutrient agar : Small gray colonies. 



Broth : Growth is variable in character ; 

 most frequently a sticky, flaky deposit 

 which may adhere to the side of the tube 

 but the supernatant fluid is clear; long 

 chains are formed. 



Starch broth : May produce yellow to 

 orange sediment. 



Litmus milk: Acid followed by cur- 

 dling. Litmus reduced subsequent to 

 curdling and proceeds from the bottom 

 upwards. Little or no proteolysis. 



Indole not formed. 



Acid from glucose, maltose, galactose, 

 fructose, lactose, sucrose, mannose, dex- 

 trin and trelialose and at times from 

 salicin. No acid from arabinose, raffi- 

 nose, inulin, xylose, glycerol, mannitol, 

 sorbitol or amygdalin. 



Sodium hippurate is hydrolyzed. No 

 hydrolysis of starch and esculin. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Ammonia is produced from peptone. 



Temperature relations : Optimum tem- 

 perature 37°C. Range of growth tol- 

 erance between 15°C and 40°C. No 

 growth at 10°C or 45°C. Does not sur- 

 vive 60°C for 30 minutes. 



Chemical tolerance : Tolerates 2 per 

 cent NaC) , variable tolerance of 4 per cent 

 NaCl and does not tolerate 6.5 per cent 

 NaCl. Final pH in glucose broth 4.2 to 

 4.6; no growth at pH 9.6. Methylene 

 blue 0.01 per cent and 0.1 per cent not 

 tolerated and not reduced. 



Not soluble in bile and is not inhibited 

 by 10 per cent and usually not by 40 per 

 cent bile. 



Action on blood: Variable; between \ 

 and I of the strains produce a narrow clear 

 zone of hemolysis; certain strains de- 

 scribed as producing greening. The 

 hemolytic strains produce an oxygen- 

 stable, filterable hemolysin. 



