Mar. 25,1914 
Streptococci in Milk 
505 
The cultures from the mouth differ from those from the udder in the 
higher percentages of raffinose, inulin, and mannite fermenters and in less 
action on glycerin and gelatin. They are sharply differentiated from the 
feces organisms in their general failure to ferment starch and the much 
higher percentage of mannite fermenters. 1 
The milk cultures are distinguished by the comparatively small num¬ 
ber of saccharose fermenters, the failure to ferment raffinose, starch, and 
inulin, and the active fermentation of both mannite and glycerin. 
THE LIQUEFYING CULTURES 
It will be noted that with the exception of a few obtained from milk, 
all of the liquefying cultures came from the udder. If we consider the 
11 gelatin-liquefying cultures as a group we obtain the data given in 
Table VI, which shows that the liquefaction of gelatin is not an isolated 
variation from the type but is correlated with an ability to utilize the 
alcohols, mannite, and glycerin. This peculiar correlation between gelatin 
liquefaction and glycerin fermentation was also noticed in the colon group. 
Table VI .—Comparison of liquefying and nonliquefying cultures of streptococci from 
the udder. 
Item. 
Gela¬ 
tin. 
Dex¬ 
trose. 
Sac¬ 
charose. 
Lactose. 
Raffi¬ 
nose. 
Starch. 
Inulin. 
Mannite. 
Glycerin. 
+ 
- 
“ 
+ 
- 
4 - 
- 
+ 
- 
+ 
- 
+ 
- 
+ 
- 
Number of 
cultures. 
Per cent... 
+ 
11 
zoo. 0 
43 
100.0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
10 
90.90 
33 
76,74 
1 
9.09 
10 
23. 26 
11 
100.0 
40 
93.02 
0 
0 
3 
6. 98 
0 
0 
0 
0 
ir 
100.0 
43 
100. 0 
1 
9.09 
2 
4 - 65 
10 
90.90 
4 i 
95 * 35 
0 
0 
2 
4 * 65 
11 
100.0 
4 i 
95 - 35 
M 00 
00 Cl 
Ov m r-"0 
00 H 
2 
18. 19 
36 
8 3 - 72 
6 
54 - 54 
0 
0 
5 
45-46 
38 
100.0 
Number of 
cultures. 
Per cent 
- 
The characters of the 11 cultures included in Table VI agree very 
closely with the ‘ Group C” of the article by the writers on the lactic- 
acjd bacteria. 2 If we divide the udder cultures into gelatin-liquefying 
and nonliquefying groups, we obtain figure 7, in which the cultures are 
arranged as in figures 5 and 6. This gives two groups in each of which 
the cultures show distinctive characters and remarkable uniformity. 
We have, then, at least three sharply defined varieties: Two from 
the udder, of which one has weak fermentative ability, attacking only 
dextrose, saccharose, and lactose, with an occasional culture-producing 
acid from mannite, inulin, or starch, and a second less numerous type, 
which liquefies gelatin and ferments dextrose, saccharose, lactose, 
mannite, and usually glycerin; and one from bovine feces, character- 
1 Since this paper was written, a communication by C. A. Fuller and V. A. Armstrong entitled “ The 
differentiation of fecal streptococci by their fermentative reactions in carbohydrate media ” has appeared 
in the Jour, of Infect. Diseases, v. 13, no. 3, p. 442-462, Nov., 1913. The characteristics of their cultures 
from bovine feces agree in all essential particulars with those found by the writers. 
2 Rogers, L. A., and Davis, B. J. Methods of classifying the lactic-acid bacteria. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. 
Anim. Indus. Bui. 154, 30 p., 6 fig. 1912. 
