title: Rhodanese activity: a simple and reliable taxonomic tool for gram-negative bacteria.
abstract: The thiosulphate: cyanide sulphurtransferase (rhodanese) test of Vandenbergh, Bawdon and Berk (1979) has been simplified and 2469 strains from a wide variety of sources representing different biochemical, serological or phage-pattern entities were tested. The percentages of rhondanese-producing strains were: Escherichia coli 98%, Shigella flexneri serovars 1-5%, X and Y 0%, other shigellae 73-100%, Yersinia spp. 0%, Salmonella subgenera I-IV 0%, Citrobacter freundi 16%, Klebsiella 37%, Enterobacter 4%, Hafnia alvei 61%, Proteus spp. 0%, Pseudomonas spp. 98-100%. Rhondanese production by S. flexneri serovar 6 supports the view that this group of bacteria should be removed from S. flexneri and placed in another species of Shigella.
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology; D013466:Sulfurtransferases / Q000032:analysis*; D013884:Thiosulfate Sulfurtransferase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D013466:Sulfurtransferases; D013884:Thiosulfate Sulfurtransferase