The anaerobic bacteria with special reference to the genus Clostridium.

Abstract

Since the literature concerning the anaerobic bacteria and their activities accumulates at the rate of 700 to 900 articles per year, obviously it will not be possible to review critically all pertinent literature nor even list a great many papers which deserve mention. As this topic has not been reviewed previously in this series [nor indeed elsewhere recently except one generally unavailable survey (147)], and in view of the mystery which at times ap­ pears to surround the topic of the growth of anaerobes, it is believed that more may be achieved if this summary is written for those unfamiliar with the field rather than for the specialists of the group. That the spore-bearing anaerobic organisms are important is attested by their association as casual agents of tetanus, botulism, gangrene, and a variety of animal diseases (237). In addition, certain species are active in the retting of flax, nitrogen fixation, the butyric acid and butyl alcohol-acetone fermentations, cellulose decom­ position, and a wide variety of other biochemical reactions of interest and value. Thus this review will attempt to indicate some of the major reference source materials but, especially with regard to recent literature, will be limited to an indication of the trends of research rather than a detailed sur­ vey of the literature of the preceding year. Where possible recent longer pa­ pers or reviews will be cited to provide the reader with an entry to more of the literature both old and recent. Metabolic mechanisms, nutrition, sporulation and spore germination, and certain other topics will be excluded since re­ views on these topics in the Annual Reviews and elsewhere generally have included information on the anaerobic bacteria. The Polish literature for 1945 to 1950 was reviewed by Borowski (25). It may be well to indicate some of the basic literature with which all who attempt serious work with the anaerobes should be familiar. The discovery of the nonpathog enic, saccharolytic, spore-bearing anaerobe by Pasteur in 1863 should be considered the foundation of the work on anaerobic organ­ isms. Von Hibler (270) is credited with the first general book, published in 1908. This was followed in 1918 by the monograph, La Gangrene Gazeuse, by Weinberg & Seguin (273) which evolved to Les Microbes Anaerobies by Weinberg, Nativelle & Prevot (272) in 1937. Meanwhile the urgency of the study of the war wound organisms occasioned the publication of special re­ ports (38, 53, 283) concerning these organisms, and general reviews were published also in the various editions of the Handbuch der pathogenen