Clostridium saccharolyticum sp. nov., a Saccharolytic Species from Sewage Sludge

Abstract
A new Clostridium sp. isolated from a methanogenic cellulose-enrichment culture of sewage sludge is described. The colonies produced by these bacteria were white, circular and convex with smooth margins. The cells were straight, spindle-shaped rods, 0.6 by 3.0 .mu.m in size. They were gram negative and nonmotile; they formed round, terminal spores. A wide variety of carbohydrates was fermented by this mesophilic anaerobe. The major fermentation products were acetic acid, H2, CO2 and ethanol. The DNA base composition was 28 mol% guanine plus cytosine. The name C. saccharolyticum is proposed for this new species on the basis of its broad saccharolytic activity. The type strain of C. saccharolyticum is WM1 (= NRC 2533).