Source: Isolated from human feces. Habitat: Intestinal canal of man. 87. Clostridium therniocellmn Viljoen et al., 1926. (Viljoen, Fred and Peterson, Jour. Agr. Sci. (London), 16, 1926, 7; Ter- minosporus thermocellus Prevot, Ann. Inst. Past., 61, 1938, 86; Plectridium snieszkoi Prevot, Man. d. Class, et Determ. d. Bact. Anaerob., 1940, 154; also see McBee, Jour. Bact., 67, 1954, 505; and Bact. Rev., 14, 1950, 51.) ther.mo'cel.lum. Gr. adj. thermus hot; M.L. noun cellulosum cellulose; M.L. adj. thermocellus (probably intended to mean) a thermophilic organism that digests cellu- lose. Vegetative cells are straight or slightl.y curved rods, 0.6 to 0.7 by 2.5 to 3.5 microns, usually occurring as individuals but oc- casionally forming long chains in liquid media. Terminal, ovoid spores, about 1.2 by 1.6 microns, swelling the cells. Motile by means of peritrichous flagella. Gram-nega- tive. Cellulose-gelatin: Cellulose digested, but gelatin not liquefied. Cellobiose agar surface colonies (anaero- bic) : Watery, slightly convex, translucent with a bluish fluorescence. Cellulose agar surface colonies (anaero- bic) : As above but with an insoluble, yellow- ish orange pigment frequently produced. Cellulose digested in an area surrounding the colony. Cellulose agar deep colonies: Lenticular, becoming lobate in old cultures. Colonies may be white or produce a yellowish orange pigment which is more intense in some strains than in others. Cellulose surrounding the colony is digested. Nutrient broth (anaerobic): No growth. Glucose broth (anaerobic): No growth. Indole not produced. Hydrogen sulfide not produced. Acid and gas from cellulose, cellobiose, .xylose and hemicelluloses. Glucose, fruc- tose, mannose, galactose, arabinose, su- crose, lactose, maltose, melibiose, trehalose, inulin, salicin, dextrin, soluble starch, inosi- tol, sorbitol, dulcitol, mannitol, glycerol, pectin and gum arable not fermented. Fermentation products include CO2 , H2 , formic, acetic, lactic and succinic acids and ethyl alcohol. Acetylmethylcarbinol not produced. Nitrites not produced from nitrates. Anaerobic. Optimum temperature, about 60° C. Grows between 50° and 68° C. Comment : A thermophilic strain of Bacil- lus cellulosae dissolve?is Khouvine is re- garded as identical with this species. Source: Isolated from horse manure, hu- man feces, soil and marine mud. Habitat: Probably widely dispersed in soils. 88. Clostridium thermocellulaseum Enebo, 1951. (Physiol. Plantarum, 4, 1951, 653.) ther.mo.cel.lu.la'se.um. Gr. adj. ther- 7110S hot; M.L. noun cellulosum cellulose; M.L. adj. thermocelhilasexis (probabl}' in- tended to mean) a thermophilic organism that digests cellulose. Slender rods, 0.35 to 0.45 by 2.0 to 4.8 mi- crons, with rounded ends, occurring singly or in pairs. Terminal spores, about 1.0 to 1.25 microns in size, soon separate from the sporangia, which are rapidly dissolved. Often times a small amount of the vegeta- tive cell remains attached to the spore. Mo- tile by means of very few peritrichous fla- gella. Gram-negative. Gelatin: No liquefaction at 55° C. Cellulose agar colonies: Minute, colorless, translucent, convex surface colonies; sub- surface colonies are minute, faintly yellow and lens-shaped. Colonies are surrounded by clear, circular, decomposition zones. Nutrient and starch agar: No growth (Enebo, Studies on Cellulose Decomposition by an Anaerobic Thermophilic Bacterium and Two Associated Non-cellulolytic Spe- cies, Stockholm, 1954). Litmus milk: Not coagulated; acid not produced. Indole not produced. Acid and gas from glucose, fructose, man- nose (weakly), maltose (weakly), cellobiose, arabinose and xylose. Galactose, rhamnose, sucrose, lactose, melibiose, trehalose, rafh- nose, glycerol, mannitol, dulcitol, sorbitol and starch not fermented. Cellulose is hydrolyzed to low-molecular
