THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME THERMOPHILIC, TARTRATE-FERMENTING ANAEROBES

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The characteristics of 12 representative strains of thermophilic, dextro-tartrate-fermenting anaerobes are described in detail. All isolates were long, slender rods. Spores, when present, were rounded and always in the terminal position. All strains were extensively saccharolytic, non-proteolytic obligate anaerobes with an optimum range for growth of 50[degree] to 60[degree] C. Minimum and maximum temps. for growth showed one group to be stenothermal and a 2d group to be eurythermal in nature. The enzymes involved in the thermophilic decomposition of tartrate were shown to be adaptive. Attempts to train cultures of the related species Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum to utilize tartrate were unsuccessful. The major end products of tartrate fermentation were CO2 and H2, acetic acid and a small amt. of butyric acid. The ratio, CO2/H2 was approx. 2:1; the ratio of acetic acid to butyric acid was almost 16:1. The new organism was named C. tartarivorum because of its unique ability to decompose dextro-tartrate.