FERMENTATIVE PROCESSES OF THE FUSIFORM BACTERIA

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Abstract
Fusobacterium nucleatum decomposes both amino acids and carbohydrates by a modified butyric acid type of fermentation. The amino acids attacked most rapidly are serine, threonine, cystine, cysteine, lysine, histidine, tyrosine, and glutamic acid. The unsubstituted monoamino, monocarboxylic amino acids are not attacked when supplied individually, together, or with a readily fermentable substrate. Although glucose is not fermented rapidly, its presence in a complex medium greatly increases the cell yield. F. plauti-vincenti catalyzes a simple lactic acid fermentation of glucose. Unlike F. nucleatum. it is unable to ferment amino acids. In the decomposition of pyruvate by cell suspensions the main products are carbon dioxide, formic acid, and acetic acid. The difference between the metabolic patterns of the two groups of fusiform bacteria is so great that F. nucleatum Knorr (group I of Spaulding and Rettger) and F. plauti-vincenti Knorr (group II of Spaulding and Rettger) probably should not be included in the same genus. There are also slight differences in the Gram reaction of the 2 organisms, as have been indicated earlier by other workers.