810 



MANUAL OF DETERMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY 



Anaerobies, 1910, 146; Caduceus cellulosae 

 hydrogenicus var. cellulosae. methatiicus 

 Prdvot, Ann. Inst. Past., 61, 1938, 86; 

 Caduceus cellulosae methanicus Prdvot, 

 Man. d. Class., etc., 1940, 150).) Named 

 for Omelianski, the Russian bacteriolo- 

 gist who first described this type. 



This species was apparently first iso- 

 lated and studied in pure culture by 

 Clausen (loc. cit.). From his studies he 

 concludes that Omelianski 's Wasserstoff- 

 and Methanbacillus are but a single 

 species, and that the gaseous fermenta- 

 tion products (H2, CO2 and CH4) were 

 affected by the symbiotic forms always 

 present in Omelianski 's cultures. 



His evidence is quite convincing, and 

 the organism is presented here from his 

 description. 



Rods : Length varying with the 

 medium, 0.5 to 0.7 by 5.0 to 15.0 microns, 

 straight to slightly curved. Occurring 

 chiefly singly, occasionally in pairs, fre- 

 quently parallel in groups, never in chains 

 or filaments. Young cells motile, but 

 motility disappearing with sporulation. 

 Flagella not demonstrable. Spores 

 spherical, terminal, swelling rods. 

 Spores 1.0 to 1.5 microns in diameter, 

 varying with medium. Gram-positive, 

 becoming Gram -labile on sporulation. 



Young vegetative cells colored wine-red 

 with iodine solution. 



Gelatin (plus asparagine) : Liquefied in 

 6 to 10 days. Medium remains perfectly 

 clear. 



Asparagine agar deep colonies : Grayish - 

 white, delicate, cottony, with fine radial 

 outgrowths. 



Asparagine agar surface colonies (anaer- 

 obic) : Poor growth, delicate, translucent, 

 filmy, scarcely discernible. 



Cellulose-liver broth : Solution remains 

 visibly clear and does not darken with 

 age. Occasional large gas bubbles arise. 



Indole not formed. 



Ammonia not formed. 



Nitrates not reduced to nitrites. 



Traces of H2S produced in iiaorganic 

 solutions. 



Milk: Soft coagulation in 24 hours. 



Amorphous clot shrinks and settles, form- 

 ing a yellowish-red to orange sediment, 

 with turbid supernatant whey. 



Brain medium : Not digested or black- 

 ened; no visible evidence of growth. 



None of the following carbohydrates 

 attacked: Maltose, mannitol, lactose, 

 glucose, sucrose, galactose, fructose, 

 starch, salicin, glycerol and inulin. 



Cellulose apparently the primary C- 

 source, but is only weakly attacked by 

 pure cultures. 



Yellow pigment not recorded in pres- 

 ence of cellulose (see Clostridium 

 dissolvens ) . 



Non-pathogenic for mice ; other animals 

 not recorded. 



Optimum reaction pH 7.0 to 7.4; 

 grows between pH 6.0 and 8.4. 



Optimum temperature 37°C to 42°C. 



Anaerobic : Growing at 25 to 30 mm 

 mercury pressure. 



Distinctive characters : Ability to 

 liquefy gelatin (plus asparagine); to co- 

 agulate milk with orange sediment, and 

 to grow in media containing asparagine 

 without requiring presence of cellulose. 

 Spores resist heating at 100°C for 90 

 minutes. 



Source : From human, cow and horse 

 excreta, from cow's stomach contents, 

 from cheese and from soil. 



Habitat : Intestinal canal of animals, 

 and presumably thence widely dissemi- 

 nated in soil. 



59. Clostridium carnis (Klein) Spray. 

 (Art V, von Hibler, Cent, f . Bakt., I Abt., 

 25, 1899, 515; Bacillus carnis Klein, Cent, 

 f. Bakt., I Abt., Orig., 35, 1904, 459, also 

 Trans. Path. Soc, London, 55, 1904, 74; 

 Art. VL von Hibler, Untersuch. ii. d. 

 Path. Anaer., 1908, 3 and 406; Hiblerillus 

 sexius Heller, Jour. Bact., 7, 1922, 6; 

 Bacillus lactiparcus Lehmann and Siiss- 

 mann, in Lehmann and Neumann, Bakt. 

 Diag., 7 Aufl., 2, 1927, 647; Plectridixim 

 carnis Pr^vot, Ann. Inst. Past., 61, 

 1938. 87; Spray, in Bergey et al.. 

 Manual, 5th ed., 1939, 750; Clostridium 



