Some New Micrococci

Abstract

Micrococcus levulosinertis Castellani. Isolated by me a few weeks ago from a case of stomititis. Pathogenicity not proved. This coccus is interesting as it ferments glucose (acidity only), but not levulose. As a rule when an organism ferments glucose it will always ferment also levulose. In fact this is the first bacterial organism I have come across that does not do so. Litmus-milk is decolorized but the reaction is alkaline. The principal characters of the organism are collected in Table I.

Botanical Position. The fact that the organism ferments glucose but not levulose differentiates this coccus from any other bacterium I know of.

Use of M. levulosinertis in the Identification of Levulose. It is sufficient here to state that if a Fehling reducing sugar is not fermented by M. levulosinertis but is fermented by Bacillus morgani or B. canalensis it must be in all probability levulose.

Micrococcus viscidus Castellani. Isolated from a case of recurrent severe inflammation of the upper lip. It is gram positive, grows well on all ordinary media, especially well on casein agar. Does not liquefy either serum or gelatine (period of observation, 2 weeks). Its principal characteristic is the following: on agar the growth is viscid and firmly adherent to the medium; if from agar it is transplanted on glucose agar the growth becomes softer and is not in the least adherent to the medium; on transplanting it from glucose on to ordinary agar again the growth becomes again viscid and very adherent to the medium.