MICRO-ORGANISMS 23 



tion, which has more than 9,000 strains. In addition, this collection 

 has in lyophil about 14,000 other strains on a nonpermanent basis. 

 The AE*S collection consists of bacteria, yeasts, actinomycetes, and 

 molds. The strain numbers are preceded by the letters NRBL 

 (Northern Regional Research Laboratory). Among the bacteria. 

 Psev.domonas and Bacillus cultures are especially numerous. Yeasts 

 and actinomycetes are very complete. In the fungi the genera 

 Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, and other Mucorales are 

 especially complete. The ARS collection was started when C. Thorn 

 studied the manufacture of Roquefort and Camembert cheese in the 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture shortly after 1900. It was not 

 formally established until about 1940. 



The Quartermaster Culture Collection was established during World 

 War II to maintain micro-organisms involved in deterioration research 

 of such diverse materials as electrical insulation, paints, wool, cotton, 

 leather, and plastics. A catalog of its cultures, issued in 1950, indi- 

 cates that it has primarily fungi, although it also has a considerable 

 number of bacteria. Its culture numbers are preceded by the letters 

 QM. 



Of special interest is the collection of algae established in 1953 at 

 Indiana University, Bloomington. This collection has representatives 

 of all the various groups of algae. Its catalog was issued in 1956 as 

 well as a helpful account of the maintenance of algal cultures and 

 a list of many of the most suitable media for algal stock culture. 



Several large general collections exist outside the United States. 

 The Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures at Baarn, Holland, was 

 founded in 1906, and is recognized for its completeness in numbers 

 of genera and species of fungi. According to its most recent catalog, 

 published in 1957, it contains 9,693 strains of micro-organisms rep- 

 resenting 6,294 species. It maintains many strains of fungi in which 

 the only interest has been taxonomic. Included in the fungi is a large 

 and complete collection of yeasts. Some strains of actinomycetes are 

 kept, but no bacteria. 



In England the Commonwealth Mycological Institute at Kew, Sur- 

 rey, maintains a large collection of fungi. Its last catalog, issued in 

 1957, in addition to listing its holdings, contains the addresses of special 

 collections in England ; namely, fungi and yeasts pathogenic to animals 

 and man, wood-rotting fungi, yeasts, industrial bacteria, bacteria 

 pathogenic to plants, bacteria pathogenic to man and animals, and 

 dairy bacteria. 



A general catalog of the cultures of micro-organisms maintained 

 in Japanese collections was issued in 1953 and gives the sources of 

 about 22,000 cultures in 144 organizations. Among the largest gen- 

 eral collections in Japan is the Institute for Fermentation at Osaka, 

 which was established in 1944. According to a 1956 catalog, it main- 

 tains 2,391 strains, divided among molds, yeasts, brewery yeasts, and 

 bacteria. A second collection is the Japanese Type Culture Collection, 

 Nagao Institute, Kitashinagawa, Tokyo, which has molds, yeasts, and 

 actinomycetes. 



In Canada the Prairie Regional Research Laboratory at Saskatoon, 

 Saskatchewan, maintains a large collection of micro-organisms, but it 

 does not issue a catalog of its cultures. 



