Sugar and Salt Tolerance of Clostridium pasteurianum and Some Related Anaerobes

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Abstract
C. pasteurianum isolated from canned pineapple and Hawaiian soils, and C. pasteurianum Winog. (Univ. of Wisc.) were more tolerant of sugars and salts than several related anaerobic bacteria (C. beijerinckii, C. butylicum, Bacillus butylicus, C. butyricum, C. saccharobutyricum, Plectridium Wise. 33 type and C. acetobutylicum Kluyver strain) obtained from the Univ. of Wisconsin. C. pasteurianum types isolated from tomatoes and figs by Townsend were somewhat less tolerant, especially the former. Osmotic pressure appeared to be the limiting factor for growth in the case of sugars but not of salts. Tolerance of sucrose and NaCl was decreased with decrease in pH but, in part, this effect may have been due to Eh. temp. had little effect on tolerance of sucrose, but did affect the tolerance of NaCl. In media with vaseline seal, a higher tolerance of NaCl was apparent than in the same media without seal. Some evidence of adaptation of the cultures to high concs. of sucrose and NaCl was obtained. Within limits, age of the inoculum did not affect the tolerance of sucrose, but a higher tolerance of NaCl was obtained with older inoculum. C. pasteurianum was less abundant in several soils than other anaerobes, but because of its greater tolerance of sugar and acid it alone caused spoilage in an acid canned fruit (Ananas comosus). In sea water plus agar (0.1%), glucose (1%), and tryptone (0.5%), only C. pasteurianum grew, suggesting that under certain conditions, growth of this organism in the sea may be possible.