NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF BACILLUS POPILLIAE

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Abstract
Sylvester, Charles J. (Michigan State University, East Lansing), and Ralph N. Costilow . Nutritional requirements of Bacillus popilliae . J. Bacteriol. 87: 114–119. 1964.— Bacillus popilliae grew consistently well in a semisynthetic medium containing a “vitamin-free,” salt-free, acid hydrolysate of casein supplemented with dextrose, dl -tryptophan, and thiamine. However, when the casein hydrolysate was replaced with a complete array of amino acids, no growth occurred. The addition of barbituric acid to this synthetic medium resulted in consistent growth. A number of purines, pyrimidines, and other nitrogen-containing compounds were tested, but none was found that would replace barbituric acid. In synthetic media, B. popilliae was found to require biotin, thiamine, and 11 amino acids for growth. Three additional amino acids were stimulatory. Preliminary studies indicated that the nutritional requirements of B. lentimorbus , another species known to be pathogenic for Japanese beetle ( Popillia japonica ) larvae, were similar to those for B. popilliae .