Recent studies of the olive-tubercle organism / by Erwin F. Smith.

  • Erwin Frink Smith
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Recent studies of the olive-tubercle organism / by Erwin F. Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    malic acid. Xo growth was obtained in oxalic acid agar stab cul- tures. Xo growth occurs in Cohn’s solution. Xo gas formation was observed; organism not tested in fermenta- 'tion tubes. Peptone water with dextrose becomes dark brown. A nutrient mineral solution (nitrogen-free media) with the addition of sodium asparaginate and cane sugar became dark bro-ftm; organism also able to take nitrogen from ammonium lactate, ammonium tartrate, ammonium citrate, and ammonium phosphate. Organism does not grow readily or copiously in distilled water containing only asparagin or in Cohn’s solution with asparagin substituted for ammonium tartrate. Xutrient agar with addition of cane sugar acquires a reddish brown stain; so does also Hunger’s sugar agar using either monopotassium ])hosphate or dipotassium phosphate. Plain agar did not stain. Boiled white of egg appears to be acted upon slightly. Growth in nutrient broth, glycerinated peptone water, Uschinsky’s solution, Fermi’s solution, etc., is best at the top. Xitrates are reduced. Xo indol in old peptone water cultures could be detected with sodium nitrite and sulphuric acid. The organism lives a long time on culture media. So far as I have observed it is a strict aerobe: It grows feebly in bouillon under olive oil (six days), and in shake-agar cultures buried as soon as solid under another 10 c. c. of agar with olive oil on top, visible growth occurred only in the upper 10 c. c. of agar, and the colonies were largest in the upper strata of this agar (four to nine days). In streak cultures on litmus agars the organism behaved as follows: In each of 16 streak cultures on litmus agar there was a copious growth in twenty-four hours, but in forty-eight hours no reddening with plain agar, or the same with addition of lactose, galactose, mal- tose, mannit, or gh'cerin. With dextrose and saccharose, however, the litmus was feebly purpled, and this change was visible in twenty- four hours. At the end of seven days the plain litmus agar and that containing lactose and galactose were either slightly bluer or not different from the check tubes. The others were purplish. These litmus agars contained, respectively, dextrose, saccharose, maltose, mannit, and glycerin. Xone were bright red, only purplish red, and that not ver\ pronounced, although plainly different from the check tubes. The litmus glycerin agar was reddened least, and this change was not visible until after the fourth day. There was no reduction of the litmus in any of the tubes (ten days). After seventeen and thirty days the litmus was reduced in tubes with glycerin. In addition to the carbon compounds to be tested this agar contained only fdtered river water and Witte's peptone. We may therefore concfude that the organism is only a .slight jiroducer of acids. 13I-IV