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MANUAL OF DETERMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



Gelatin : Liquefied in 48 hours . Diffuse 

 turbidity, clearing with abundant, whit- 

 ish-gray sediment, which later becomes 

 red to violet-red. Upper (1 cm) layer 

 shows diffuse, red pigment. 



Deep plain agar (without peptone) : 

 Growth sparse. Pigment not formed in 

 absence of peptone. 



Blood agar surface colonies (anaerobic) : 

 Grayish, moist, shining, flat ; edges lobate 

 with finely dendritic -tufted edges. Blood 

 agar is hemolyzed. 



Glucose agar surface colonies (ana- 

 erobic) : As on blood agar. Growth 

 slightly less profuse. 



Glucose agar deep colonies : Grayish- 

 white, multi-lobate, with dense center 

 and dendritic, tufted edges. Growth 

 begins about 1 cm below surface. Gas 

 abundantly formed. Diffuse, red pig- 

 ment appears in superficial layers after 

 4 to 5 days. 



Glucose meat-infusion broth : Abun- 

 dant, diffuse turbidity with much gas. 

 Gradual, profuse sedimentation, but with 

 prolonged turbidity. 



Peptone water : Growth variable; some- 

 times fails. At best, moderate turbidity 

 and sediment. No gas. 



Synthetic fluid media (Uschinsky, 

 etc.): No growth (unless peptone is 

 added). Growth is proportionate to 

 added peptone. 



Potato slant (anaerobic) : Growth deli- 

 cate, shining, grayish-yellow. Fecal 

 odor. 



Milk : Spongy coagulation after 3 to 4 

 days. Abundant gas. Turbid, yellow- 

 ish whey is expressed. Casein clot 

 gradually digested in 4 to 5 weeks. Fecal 

 odor. 



Indole is not formed. 



Hydrogen sulfide is abundantly formed. 



Coagulated albumin (hydrocoel- and 

 ascitic-fluid) : Digested and blackened, 

 with moderate gas of fecal odor. When 

 covered with agar, the agar plug shows 

 diffuse, red pigmentation. 



Pathogenicity : Weakly pathogenic for 

 white mice and guinea pigs. Produces 

 hemorrhagic, serous peritonitis after in- 



traperitoneal inoculation. Death due 

 apparently to a weak toxin. Virulence 

 increased by animal passage. 



Grows well at 2rC and at 37°C. 



Anaerobic . 



Distinctive character: Red pigmenta- 

 tion which is increased on addition of 

 chlorine-, or of bromine-water. Although 

 produced by an anaerobe, pigment ap- 

 pears only in aerated zone and depends 

 on peptone content of medium. 



Source : From pus of a human peri- 

 nephritic abscess. 



Habitat : Not determined, other than 

 this single source. 



52. Clostridium felsineum (Carbone 

 and Tombolato) Bergey et al. (Bacillus 

 felsineus Carbone and Tombolato, Le 

 Staz. Sper. Agrar., Ital., 50, 1917, 563; 

 Ruschmann and Bavendamm, Cent. f. 

 Bakt., II Abt., 6-^, 1925, 340; Van der Lek, 

 Thesis, Delft, 1930, (143?); Clostridium 

 felsinus Bergey et al., Manual, 3rd ed., 

 1930, 453.) Named for Felsinea, the 

 ancient name of Bologna, Italy. 



Described from Ruschmann and Baven- 

 damm (loc. cit.), from the Kluyver strain 

 used by Van der Lek (loc. cit.), and from 

 McCoy and McClung, Arch. f. Mikro- 

 biol., 6, 1935,230. c 



Rods : 0.3 to 0.4 by 3.0 to 5.0 microns, 

 occurring singly, in pairs and in short 

 chains. Motile with peritrichous flagella. 

 Spores oval, subterminal, swelling rods 

 to Clostridia. Gram -positive, becoming 

 Gram-negative. 



Granulose positive in the clostridial 

 stage. 



Glucose gelatin : Liquefied. 



Plain agar slant (anaerobic): Surface 

 growth scant, scarcely perceptible. 



Glucose agar surface colonies (anaer- 

 obic) : Raised, smooth, slightly irregular, 

 yellow-orange. 



Deep glucose agar colonies : Compact, 

 lenticular, opaque, yellow. 



Blood agar not hemolyzed. 



Pigmentation (anaerobic ) : Yellow- 

 orange, ageing to brownish. Not chang- 

 ing on aeration. 



