CLOSTRIDIA IN SOIL OF THE ANTARCTICA

Abstract
From the soil in the area around the Syowa Station, East Ongul Island, Antarctica, a total of 193 strains of clostridia were isolated and identified. Soil samples taken from places which were considered to be scarcely contaminated by humans and animals contained many clostridia. Strains (155) were assigned to 11 spp., including Clostridium perfringens, C. bifermentans, C. sordellii, C. sporogenes, C. plagarum, C. paraperfringens, C. septicum, C. tertium, C. cadaveris, C. butyricum and C. felsineum, but 38 strains remained unidentified. C. perfringens, C. bifermentans and C. sordellii were isolated very frequently and C. sporogenes less frequently. All the strains of C. sordellii were nonpathogenic and had almost the same characteristics as those of C. bifermentans except for the attitude in the urease test. The peculiar distribution and characteristics of the clostridia in the Antarctic soil were discussed in comparison with those found in the soil in Japan.