title: A scheme for the identification of clinical isolates of Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli by conventional bacteriological tests.
abstract: More than 1000 strains of gram-negative anaerobic bacilli, including reference strains, clinical isolates, and members of the normal flora of the mouth, lower gastro-intestinal tract and vagina of healthy human subjects, were studied by conventional bacteriological methods and by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of metabolic products in a series of investigations. A short combined set of tests with particular discriminant value was selected, and a scheme for the identification of the species and subspecies encountered in the diagnostic bacteriological laboratory was based upon our composite results. The tests are: antibiotic-disk resistance tests with neomycin 1000 micrograms, kanamycin 1000 micrograms, penicillin 2 units and rifampicin 15 micrograms per disk; tolerance tests with sodium taurocholate, Victoria blue 4R and gentian violet; and tests for pigment production, indole production, aesculin hydrolysis and the fermentation of glucose, lactose, sucrose, rhamnose, trehalose, mannitol and xylose. Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli are divided into four groups: (1) the fragilis group with nine species, which include the five subgroups previously classified as subspecies of B. fragilis; (2) the melaninogenicus-oralis group, which includes the three saccharolytic subspecies (ss.) of B. melaninogenicus--ss. melaninogenicus, ss. intermedius and ss. levii--and four non-pigmented species; (3) the asaccharolytic group, which comprises B. asaccharolyticus (formerly B. melaninogenicus ss. asaccharolyticus), B. corrodens and other non-pigmented non-saccharolytic strains, and (4) the fusobacteria.
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D001438:Bacteroidaceae / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000145:classification*; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000145:classification; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005285:Fermentation; D005673:Fusobacterium / Q000145:classification*; D001443:Prevotella melaninogenica / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents