632 



MANUAL OF DETKRMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



Does not hydrolyze starch. 



Does not produce hydrogen sulfide. 



Aerobic. 



Optimum temperature 20°C. 



Source: From the shell of a decom- 

 posing horseshoe crab, Limulus polij- 

 phemus, and from the intestinal tracts of 

 Venus mercenaria, Ovalipes ocellatus, 

 Mustelus mustelus and Spheroides ma- 

 culatus. 



Habitat: Common in marine sand, 

 mud and water. 



38. Bacterium chitinochroma Hock. 

 (Jour. Marine Res., 4, 1941, 105.) 



Short rods: 0.45 to 0.75 by 0.90 to 1.4 

 microns. Motile. Gram-negative. 



Sea water gelatin : Active liquefaction ; 

 no growth in stab, but thick bright yel- 

 low growth throughout the liquefied 

 zone. 



Basic agar plate: Colonies circular, 

 smooth, entire, raised, varying in color 

 from lemon to deep orange. 



Basic liquid medium: Abundant 

 growth with production of pellicle. 

 Scant granular sediment, increasing with 

 age of culture. 



Decomposes natural chitinous material 

 such as horseshoe crab shells and also 

 purified chitin. 



Does not produce nitrites from ni- 

 trates. 



Acid from glucose and sucrose, but 

 not lactose, glycerol and mannitol. 

 Does not digest cellulose. 



Hydrolyzes starch. 



Does not produce hydrogen sulfide. 



Aerobic. 



Optimum temperature 20°C. 



Source: From the intestinal tract of 

 the squid, Loligo pealeii. Common. 



Habitat: Marine sand, mud and water. 



Appendix I : The first species of chitin- 

 ovorous bacteria that was described and 

 named was placed in the genus Bacillus 

 because it was a motile rod. 



1. Bacillus chitinovorus Benecke. 

 (Bot. Zeitung, 63, 1905, 227.) From 

 M. L. chitin, chitin; varus, devouring. 



Rods : 0.75 by 2.0 microns. Sometimes 

 in pairs and chains. Motile with peri- 

 trichous flagella. Gram-negative. 



Gelatin stab: Liquefaction. 



Mineral agar containing chitin: Good 

 growth if no sugar is added to produce 

 acid. Non-chromogenic. 



Peptone mineral agar containing 

 chitin : Good growth if reaction is neutral 

 to slightly alkaline. 



Salt in concentrations up to I5 per 

 cent is favorable for growth. Maximum 

 4 per cent. 



Peptone broth: Turbid with heavy, 

 slimy, whitish to brownish pellicle. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



Ammonia produced in peptone-chitin 

 media. 



Acid from glucose and sucrose. 



Optimum temperature 20°C. 



Source: Isolated at Kiel from media 

 containing decomposing crab shells and 

 from media containing purified chitin; 

 also from soil. 



Hal)itat: Brackish water and soil. 



Notes: Bacillus tumescens Zopf, Ba- 

 cillus cohaerens Gottheil, Bacillus pro- 

 icus vulgaris Kruse, Bacillus coli com- 

 munis Sternberg, Bacillus fluorescens 

 liquefaciens Fliigge, Bacillus megathe- 

 rium De Bary, Vibrio aquatilis Gunther 

 and Spirillum rubrum von Esmarch did 

 not attack chitin under the conditions 

 tested by Benecke (loc. cit.). 



Benton (Jour. Bact., 29, 1935, 449) 

 describes but does not name 17 types of 

 chitinovorous bacteria isolated from 

 water, mud and plankton of fresh water 

 lakes, from decaying May fly nymph 

 shells, intestinal contents of fish, frogs, 

 bats, snipe, and crayfish. Also shore 

 soil, composts, etc. Twelve types are 

 reported to be monotrichous, two are 

 peritrichous and three, position of 

 flagella not stated. Of two Gram-posi- 

 tive types, one may have been a spore- 

 former and the other a Corynebacterium. 

 Two types digested cellulose. 



ZoBell and Rittenberg (Jour. Bact., 

 35, 1938, 275) isolated and studied but 



