4 8 



Scientific Proceedings (117). 



Abstracts of the Communications Pacific Coast Branch. 

 Thirtieth meeting. 



Berkeley, California, October 15, IQ21. 

 22 (1769) 



The production of tyrosine by a putrefactive anaerobe. 



By IVAN C. HALL and FLORENCE FINNERUD. 



[From the Department of Bacteriology and Experimental Pathology, 

 University of California, Berkeley, California.] 



In caring for our collection of anaerobic cultures which now 

 numbers 69 strains distributed among 15 clearly recognizable 

 species and 4 strains as yet unidentified, we have observed that 

 certain ones habitually form white crystalline products in the 

 deep brain medium that is used for preserving the stock cultures; 

 namely 3 strains of B. bifermentans, 4 of B. centrosporo genes (a new 

 species shortly to be described for the first time), 1 of B. histolyticus , 

 and especially an unplaced culture, herewith designated No. 106, 

 that resembles B. sporogenes in certain properties but differs in 

 its striking crystal formation. All of these are actively putre- 

 factive anaerobes. 



We have failed to observe such crystals in 6 strains of B. 

 Welchii, 3 of B. Novyi, 2 of B. butyricus, 19 serologically homolo- 

 gous strains of B. sporogenes, 5 heterologous strains of B. sporo- 

 genes, 2 strains of B. botulinus Type A, 3 of B. botulinus Type B, 

 7 of Vibrion septique, 7 of B. tetani, 3 of B. putrificus, and 1 each of 

 B. Chauveauii, B. sphenoides, B. tertius, and B. tetanomorphus. 

 Of this list B. sporogenes and B. botulinus are actively putrefactive, 

 B. tetani and B. putrificus less strikingly so. 



References to crystals supposed on microscopic grounds to be 

 tyrosine in cultures of putrefactive anaerobes are scattered through 

 the literature, a review of which is reserved for a more detailed 

 report. So far as we are aware, no one else has recovered ty rosin 

 in a state of high purity from a pure culture of any single bacterium. 



Our studies to date show that culture No. 106 produces crystals, 

 macro- and microscopically resembling tyrosin, in ground meat, 



