Agar deep colonies: Small. No gas bubbles Indole and skatole not produced. produced. Cultures have a slightly disagree- Nitrites not produced from nitrates. able, rancid odor. Survive over two months. Neutral red and phenosafranin are not re- Peptone water: Very meager growth duced. which precipitates. Non-hemolytic. Glucose broth: Uniformly turbid; slight, Strictly anaerobic. white sediment. No acidification detectable Temperature relations: Grows well at by chemical titration. Ammonia produced 35° C. but not at 25° C. with a mixture of propionic and acetic acids. Not pathogenic for mice or guinea pigs. No lactic or succinic acid. Volatile amines, Distinctive characters: Digestion of milk aldehydes and acetone are present, but no and liquefaction of gelatin. Survival for two alcohol, acetylmethylcarbinol, phenol or months. cresol. Source: Isolated from pus from a case of Milk: Digested. vulvovaginitis in a child. Coagulated serum and fibrin : Partially Habitat : Found in the urogenital tract of attacked. man. Distribution in nature unknown. FAMILY IX. BREVIBACTERIACEAE BREED, 1953.* (Riassunti delle Comunicazioni, VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, /, 1953, 13; also see Atti del VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 1955, 10.) Brev.i.bac.te.ri.a'ce.ae. M.L. neut.n. Brevihacterium type genus of the family; -aceae suffix to denote a family; M.L. fem.pl.n. Brevihacleriaceae the Brevihacterium family. Cells without endospores. Rod-shaped, varying from a quite short, almost coccoid form to a rather long, straight, unbranched rod. Motile or non-motile, the motile species being peritrichous or, occasionally, monotrichous. Gram-positive. Red, reddish orange, yellow or brown pigments may be produced. Carbohydrates may or may not be attacked. Aerobic and facultatively anaerobic species occur. Found in dairy products, soil, salt and fresh water and decomposing substances of a great variety of types. Key to the genera of family Brevibacteriaceae. I. Short, almost coccoid, unbranched rods which do not form filaments. Acid usually produced from simple carbohydrates. Genus I. Brevihacterium, p. 490. II. Long, unbranched rods which may form filaments; the filaments may subdivide into coccoid elements. Carbohydrates not utilized. Genus II. Kurthia, p. 503. Genus I. Brevibacterium Breed, 1953. (Riassunti delle Comunicazioni, VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 1953, 13; also see Atti del VI Congresso Internaz. di Microbiol., Roma, 1, 1955, 12.) Brev.i.bac.te'ri.um. L. adj. hrevis short; Gr. dim. noun hacterium a small rod; M.L. neut.n. Brevihacterium a short rodlet. Typically short, unbranching rods. Generally non-motile; type of motility of motile species peritrichous or uncertain. Sometimes chromogenic, with non-water-soluble reddish, reddish orange, yellow or brown pigments. May or may not reduce nitrates. Glucose broth usually becomes acid; lactose not fermented. Proteolytic action varies with the species.
- Prepared by Prof. Robert S. Breed, Cornell University, Geneva, New York, October.
1954.
