FAMILY ENTEROBACTERIACEAE 



541 



Svensk. Veterinartijdskr., 1917, 81 ; also 

 see Jour. Comp. Path, and Therap., 32, 

 1919, 143; Bacillus equuli van Straaten, 

 Verslag van den Werkzaamheden der 

 Rijksseruminrichting voor 1916-1917, 

 Rotterdam, 1918, 75; Bacterium pyosep- 

 Hcus equi de Blieck and van Heelsbergen, 

 Tydschr. v. Diergeneesk., J^6, 1919, 492; 

 Bacillus equirulis de Blieck and van 

 Heelsbergen, ibid., 496; Bacterium pyo- 

 septicum viscosum IMeissner, Deut. tier- 

 artzl. Wchnschr., 29, 1921, 185; Bacte- 

 riiim pyosepiicum (viscosmn) equi Ltitje, 

 Deut. tierarztl. Wchnschr., 29, 1921, 463; 

 Bacterium pyosepticum (viscosum) Meiss- 

 ner and Berge, Deut. tierarztl. Wchn- 

 schr., 30, 1922, 473; Bacterium pyosepti- 

 CMmMeissner, Deut. tierartzl. Wchnschr., 

 31, 1923, 348; Bacterium pyosepticum equi 

 Landien, Inaug. Diss., Hanover, 1923; 

 Bacillus pyosepticus Clarenberg, Ztschr. 

 f. Infektskr. u. Hyg. d. Haust., 27, 1924, 

 193; Bacterium equi Weldin and Levine, 

 Abst. Bact., 7, 1923, 13; Eberthella vis- 

 cosa Snyder, Jour. Amer. Vet. Med. 

 Assoc, b'6, 1925, 481; Shigella equi Wel- 

 din, Iowa Sta. Col. Jour. Sci., 1, 1927, 

 121; Shigella viscosa Bergey et al., 

 Manual, 3rd ed., 1930, 363; Edwards, 

 Kentucky Agr. Exp. Sta. Res. Bui. 320, 

 1931.) 



While awaiting further information, 

 the binomial introduced by Edwards is 

 used for this species although Haupt of 

 Leipzig points out in a personal com- 

 munication to Edwards (1934) that van 

 Straaten's original name was Bacillus 

 equuli. The binomial Bacillus equirulis 

 is stated to have appeared first in the 

 article by de Blieck and van Heels- 

 bergen, loc. cit. 



Description from Edwards {loc. cit.). 



Rods: 0.3 to 0.4 by 0.4 to 0.8 micron, 

 occurring singly, in chains and filaments. 

 Young cultures (8 to 10 hrs.) frequently 

 show long filaments and streptococcus- 

 like chains as well as large, yeast-like 

 bodies with projections. Rough mucoid 

 colonies consist of short, oval rods. 

 Smooth colonies contain long filaments 

 and streptococcus-like chains. Rough 



colonies are always mucoid. Non-mu- 

 coid colonies are alwaj's smooth. Cap- 

 sules described but uncertain. Non- 

 motile. Gram-negative. 



Gelatin colonies: Grayish -white, cir- 

 cular, translucent. 



Gelatin stab: Nail-head, moderate 

 growth along line of stab. No lique- 

 faction. 



Agar colonies: 3 to 5 mm at 48 hours. 

 Semi-solid, tough, adherent, circular, 

 grayish-white, smooth, moist, glisten- 

 ing. Rough variants and dwarf colonies. 



Agar slant: Grayish-white, viscid 

 growth, covering the surface. Viable 8 

 to 10 days. 



Broth: Masses form on side of tube. 

 At times a thin gra^dsh pellicle. Gray- 

 ish, tough, ropy sediment. Eventually 

 diffuse turbiditj' which is highly viscous. 

 Viabilitj^ 2 to 4 weeks. 



Litmus milk: Slowly acidified; slimy, 

 viscid. Sometimes coagulation and re- 

 duction. 



Potato: No visible growth. 



Indole not formed. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



Voges-Proskauer test negative. 



Acid but no gas from glucose, fructose, 

 xylose, lactose, galactose, maltose, suc- 

 rose, mannitol and raffinose. Dextrin 

 usually fermented. No action in rham- 

 nose, dulcitol, sorbitol or inositol. 

 Usually no action in salicin, adonitol 

 and arabinose. 



Does not reduce trimethylamine oxide 

 (Wood et al.. Jour. Bact., 46, 1943, 108). 



Does not grow at 45.5°C (Stuart et al., 

 Jour. Bact., ^6, 1943, 105). 



Optimum temperature 37°C. 



Aerobic, facultative. 



Not pathogenic for small experimental 

 animals. Produces abscesses and stiff- 

 ening of the joints when injected subcu- 

 taneously in horses. 



Serologically heterogeneous. Nothing 

 is known of its antigenic relations to 

 other members of the genus. Haupt 

 writes in a personal communication that 

 comparative serological studies indicate 



