FAMILY LACTOBACTERIACEAE 



375 



diphtheroids. In media without fer- 

 mentable carbohydrate, small strepto- 

 cocci. Aerobic growth irregular, club- 

 shaped and branched rods. Non-motile. 

 Shows metachromatic granules. Gram- 

 positive. 



Yeast gelatin-lactate-stab : Xo lique- 

 faction. 



Yeast agar-lactate-stab: Brownish-red 

 growth throughout stab, with appreciable 

 dome -shaped surface growth of same 

 color. 



Liquid media : Turbidity in earh^ 

 stages, sediment smooth and red. 



Litmus milk: Mostly acid coagulation. 



Catalase positive. 



Indole not formed. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Ferments lactic and pyruvic acids, 

 glycerol, dihydroxj'acetone, glucose, fruc- 

 tose, mannose, galactose, sucrose, malt- 

 ose, lactose and sorbitol with the forma- 

 tion of propionic and acetic acids, and 

 carbon dioxide. 



Acid fromadonitol,. arabitol, erythritol, 

 esculin, salicin and trehalose. No acid 

 from amygdalin, arabinose, dextrin, dul- 

 citol, glycogen, inulin, mannitol, melezi- 

 tose, melibiose. perseitol, pectin, raffi- 

 nose, rhamnose, starch or xylose. 



Domke (]Milchwirtsch. Forsch., 15, 

 1933, 480) reports that this species may 

 or may not ferment lactose and may or 

 may not produce acid from esculin and 

 salicin. 



Less anaerobic than Prop ionibacterium 

 freudenreichii and PropioJiibacterium 

 shermanii. 



Distinctive characters : Closely re- 

 sembles Propionibacterium rubrum in 

 morphology and in the production of 

 brownish-red pigment under aerobic and 

 anaerobic conditions. Differs from this 

 species in its inability to ferment raffi- 

 nose and mannitol, whereas fermentation 

 of sorbitol occurs. 



The biochemical characteristics of a 

 ten-year-old stock culture have remained 

 unchanged . 



Source : From cheese and buttermilk. 



Habitat: Dairy products. 



5. Propionibacteiium zeae Hitchner. 

 (Hitchner, Jour. Bact., 23, 1932, 40; 28, 

 1935, 473; Werkman and Brown, Jour. 

 Bact., 26. 1933, 411.) From Greek zea, 

 spelt, a kind of grain; M. L. Zea, a 

 generic name. 



Description of culture isolated by 

 Hitchner. 



Cells in neutral lactate media spherical, 

 0.8 micron, usually occurring as short 

 streptococci. In" carbohydrate media 

 which turn acid during development, 

 distinctly rod-shaped, 0.8 by 2.0 to 3.0 

 microns, with a slight tendency' to the 

 formation of club-shaped cells. Appear- 

 ance typically diphtheroid. Aerobic 

 growth irregular, club-shaped and 

 branched rods. Non-motile. Show 

 metachromatic granules. Gram-posi- 

 tive. 



Yeast gelatin-lactate-stab : No lique- 

 faction. 



Yeast agar-lactate-stab : Cream-colored 

 growth in stab, with distinct- surface 

 growth of same color. 



Liquid media: Distinctly turbid; 

 cream -colored; smooth sediment, very 

 ropy. 



Litmus milk: Coagulated, acid. 



Catalase positive, especially when 

 grown in neutral media. 



Indole not formed. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Ferments lactic and pyruvic acids, 

 glycerol, dihydroxyacetone, 1-arabinose, 

 rhamnose, glucose, fructose, mannose, 

 galactose, sucrose, cellobiose, maltose, 

 lactose and mannitol with the formation 

 of propionic and acetic acids and carbon 

 dioxide. 



Acid from salicin. No acid from d- 

 arabinose, dextrin, dulcitol, glycogen, 

 inulin. starch or xylose. 



Less anaerobic than Propionibacterium 

 freudenreichii and Propionibacterium 

 shermanii. 



Distinctive characters : Cream-colored 

 surface growth, ability to ferment 1-arab- 

 inose and rhamnose, but not d-arabinose 

 and xylose. 



Source: Not definitelj^ recorded. 



