TAXONOMY OF CLOSTRIDIUM BIFERMENTANS AND CLOSTRIDIUM SORDELLII. I. THEIR TOXIGENICITY, UREASE ACTIVITY, AND SPORULATING POTENCY

Abstract

Nishida, S. (Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan), K. Tamai, and T. Yamagishi. Taxonomy of Clostridium bifermentans and Clostridium sordellii. I. Their toxigenicity, urease activity, and sporulating potency. J. Bacteriol. 88:1641-1646. 1964.-Strains with properties similar to those of Clostridium bifermentans were usually obtained by selecting heat-resistant substrains of C. sordellii 1734. Heat-resistant substrains obtained from seven other strains were also found to be nontoxic. Some of these heat-resistant substrains produced urease, but others did not. Substrains of typical cultures of C. sordellii thus can yield either substrains resembling nonpathogenic strains of C. sordellii culturally, or substrains resembling C. bifermentans. The sporulating potency of pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of C. sordellii and strains of C. bifermentans proved to be significantly distinct. The sporulating potency of C. bifermentans was high, that of pathogenic strains of C. sordellii was low, and that of nonpathogenic strains of C. sordellii was intermediate between the other two.