Some properties of the nonsporing anaerobes from poultry caeca.

Abstract

Summary: A study has been made of the ability of 48 strains of anaerobic bacteria, representing 20 different groups of Gram negative and Gram positive nonsporing rods and peptostreptococci, isolated from poultry caeca, to attack certain substrates that may be of ecological importance. The organisms were predominantly saccharolytic; only the strains of Propionibacterium acnes showed proteolytic activity. None of the strains hydrolysed amorphous cellulose or xylan. A few were weakly pectolytic. Starch was hydrolysed by all the strains of Bacteroides fragilis and by one strain of Eubacterium. Two groups of Gram negative bacteria (Bacteroidaceae) and one of the peptostreptococci attacked uric acid. The resistance of the anaerobes to inhibitory substances (bacitracin, virginiamycin, kanamycin, neomycin, vancomycin and nalidixic acid) was determined. Selective media for the isolation of certain of the groups of Gram negative anaerobes have been developed.