UTILIZATION OF CARBOHYDRATES BY PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA

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Abstract
P. aeruginosa has a definite biochemical pattern. The organism can utilize glucose, galactose, fructose, mannitol, trehalose, and glycerol as the sole source of C for growth, and produce acid from these substances. Although acid is produced rapidly from arabinose, xylose, and mannose, the organism is unable to utilize these substances as the sole source of C for growth. Slow acid production from rhamnose can be demonstrated if the basic medium is able to support growth. The organism cannot utilize rhamnose as the sole source of C for growth and will not attack it until all the other available C sources are exhausted. P.aeruginosa is unable to attack adonitol, dextrin, dulcitol, inositol, inulin, lactose, maltose, raffinose, salicin, sorbitol, starch, or sucrose. P. aeruginosa is more alkaligenic than members of the family Enterobacteriaceae such as Aerobacter and Escherichia spp. The failure of the organism to produce an acid reaction in peptone carbohydrate broth is due to the preference of the organism to utilize peptone as a source of C as well as N. The relatively large amt. of alkali produced from peptone and the small amt. of acid produced from each carbohydrate are the accessory factors which make acid production less readily demonstrable. In the synthetic medium described, however, one carbohydrate is the sole source of available C and the organism must attack this substance from the beginning if growth occurs. Carbohydrate utilization can be inhibited by simple C compounds such as Na citrate and Na succinate.

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