Raw Beef Liver Research Articles

Effect of Various Bacteria Upon Growth of Planarian Worms

Dr. Wulzen and the author have been engaged over a period of years in testing the growth-promoting power, for planarian worms, of the tissues from various animals. We have found that the growth response of these worms varies markedly when different tissues1 or the same tissue from animals reared under different conditions,2 are fed as the entire diet.As bacteria produce definite effects upon the growth of mammals when the tissues are invaded, it was of interest to test the effect upon planarian worms of adding various bacteria to a food of known growth-promoting power. The following organisms were selected: 2 strains of Staphylococcus aureus (No. 47P, isolated from raw beef liver, and No. 6, from a human case of mastoiditis), Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, and Sarcina lutea, all grown upon plain agar slants for from 48 to 72 hr. before being fed to the worms.The technique used in planarian nutritional studies has been described.1, 2 Each experimental diet was fed to a group of 30 measured worms, ove...