Brucella organisms that had been isolated from swine or from human beings exposed to infected swine, and that had been previously identified as members of the species Br. melitensis, were examined for their oxidative metabolism, for their growth patterns on media containing basic fuchsin and thionin, and for their hydrogen sulfide production. These organisms displayed the oxidative metabolic pattern that characterizes and identifies the members of the species Br. suis. They also are identical to Br. suis, type 1, in their tolerance to increased concentrations of thionin in the growth media. They are similar to Br. suis, type 2, in their inability to produce hydrogen sulfide, and share with other members of the species Br. suis the characteristic preference for a porcine host. These findings are evidence that these organisms are not Br. melitensis but are a biotype of Br. suis. Their correct identification is important to understanding the epidemiology of brucellosis.

Animals↗

PubMed1962

Metabolic characterization of Brucella strains that show conflicting identity by biochemical and serological methods.

Each of 87 strains of brucellae examined for its utilization of amino acid and carbohydrate substrates displayed a metabolic pattern that characterized it as to its species identity, irrespective of its serological and biochemical characters. Strains that displayed the metabolic pattern of Br. abortus were lysed by Brucella bacteriophage type abortus strain 3. Strains that displayed the metabolic pattern of Br. melitensis were not lysed by this phage.On this basis of identification, it is shown that there occur strains of Br. abortus that do not produce hydrogen sulfide, do not require carbon dioxide and are thionin-resistant, thereby duplicating the features generally regarded as characteristic of Br. melitensis. They can be identified by their metabolism and phage susceptibility. The distribution of Br. abortus and Br. melitensis antigens, as measured by agglutination with monospecific antisera, is also not always related to other species-identifying characteristics. Therefore, neither the serological method nor the biochemical method can be considered a reliable guide to the identification of Brucella species.

Brucella↗

PubMed1962

Metabolic and bacteriophage identification of Brucella strains described as Brucella melitensis from cattle.

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Animals↗

PubMed1961

Latent learning under irrelevant drive and without reinforcement.

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Drive↗

PubMed1961

Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. I. Statistical evaluation of the oxidative rates by which type I of each species can be identified.

Meyer, Margaret E. (University of California, Davis), and H. S. Cameron. Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. I. Statistical evaluation of the oxidative rates by which type I of each species can be identified. J. Bacteriol. 82:387-395. 1961.-The oxidative uptake rates on 11 amino acid and seven carbohydrate substrates were determined for 75 strains of brucellae that had been identified by the conventional determinative methods as Brucella melitensis type I, Brucella abortus type I, or Brucella suis type I. By calculating the standard deviation of the oxidative rates, it was demonstrated that a metabolic pattern that is characteristic and definitive for each of the species was formed by their differential oxidative utilization of substrate groups, and that qualitative as well as quantitative metabolic differences exist among the Brucella species. B. melitensis oxidized l-alanine, l-asparagine, and l-glutamic acid, but not l-arginine, dl-citrulline, l-lysine, dl-ornithine, l-arabinose, d-galactose, d-ribose, or d-xylose. B. abortus differed qualitatively from B. melitensis in that it oxidized the carbohydrate substrates. B. suis differed quantitatively from both of these species in its consistently low oxidative rates of l-alanine, l-asparagine, and l-glutamic acid, and its high rates of utilization of the carbohydrate substrates. It differed qualitatively in that it oxidized the four amino acid substrates that are components of the urea cycle.

Alanine↗

PubMed1961

Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. II. Oxidative metabolic patterns of the described biotypes.

Meyer, Margaret E. (University of California, Davis), and H. S. Cameron. Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. II. Oxidative metabolic patterns of the described biotypes. J. Bacteriol. 82:396-400. 1961.-The oxidative metabolism of the biotypes of Brucella abortus and Brucella suis was compared to that of typical strains of these species. It was found that the biotypes of B. abortus display a metabolic pattern identical to that of B. abortus type I, irrespective of their differences in susceptibility to the bacteriostatic action of basic fuchsin and thionin. It was also found that a characteristic feature which distinguishes all of the biotypes of B. suis from the other species was their ability to oxidize l-arginine, dl-citrulline, and dl-ornithine. The three biotypes of B. suis can be differentiated from each other by discrete differences in their utilization of l-lysine and l-glutamic acid. Data on the oxidative rates obtained on eight amino acid and four carbohydrate substrates by 47 strains of the described biotypes are presented in support of these conclusions.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1961

Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. III. Oxidative metabolism of strains that show anomalous characteristics by conventional determinative methods.

Meyer, Margaret E. (University of California, Davis). Metabolic characterization of the genus Brucella. III. Oxidative metabolism of strains that show anomalous characteristics by conventional determinative methods. J. Bacteriol. 82:401-410. 1961.-The oxidative metabolic patterns were determined on 83 strains of brucellae that had been described as "atypical" because they differed in one or more characteristics or because they had been isolated from an abnormal host (other than the natural reservoir for that species). Of the 83 strains examined, 44 displayed the metabolic pattern for Brucella melitensis. A comparison was then made between the results of identifying these strains metabolically and by the conventional methods. It was found that a few strains of B. melitensis showed a decreased tolerance to basic fuchsin and thionin, but none of the strains that was identified metabolically as B. melitensis produced H(2)S or required CO(2). No biotypes have been reported for this species, since only slight quantitative variation in dye tolerances occurs among strains of B. melitensis, and no metabolic variants were found. It is concluded that B. melitensis is a homogenous species and can be identified with certainty by its oxidative metabolic pattern, irrespective of its host or geographic source. Of the remaining strains, 38 displayed the metabolic pattern singular for Brucella abortus. Evidence was presented to support the conclusion that in this species the characteristics of dye tolerance, H(2)S production, and CO(2) required for initial growth vary independently of each other, and strains that differ from the species description by these criteria can be identified correctly by their oxidative metabolic pattern. Of the 83 atypical strains examined, 24 were strains of Brucella described as a new species, Brucella intermedia (Renoux). Of these 24 strains, 10 were identified as Brucella melitensis, 13 as Brucella abortus, and one as Brucella suis. Evidence was presented to support the conclusion that B. intermedia (Renoux) cannot be considered as a new species.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1959