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Factors Affecting the Germination of Spores of Clostridium botulinum Type E
Author(s) -
Ando Yoshiaki,
Iida Hiroo
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
japanese journal of microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0021-5139
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1970.tb00536.x
Subject(s) - germination , spore , clostridium botulinum , bicarbonate , chemistry , incubation , food science , spore germination , alanine , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , horticulture , biology , amino acid , toxin , organic chemistry
Germination of spores of Clostridium botulinum type E under varying conditions of Eh, pH, temperature, activation, and nutrition was studied. Germination in a complex medium consisting of thiotone, glucose and bicarbonato occurred at any level of initial Eh, regardless of the poising procedures employed. On the other hand, postgerminative development was affected by the initial Eh in the germination medium. Under an anaerobic condition, germination, outgrowth and division of cells were characterized by a peculiar profile of an Eh‐time curve. The optimal conditions for germination of unheated spores in the complex medium were incubation at 37 C and pH 6.6. The rate of germination increased with ageing time, the maximum rate being attained after storing an aqueous suspension of spores at 4 C for 20 days. The optimal heat activation was indicated when subjecting spores to heat‐shock at 60 C for 10 min. Germination in a casamino acids medium was markedly stimulated by a supplementation of lactate. The minimum requirements of compounds needed for the germination of spores of C. botulinum type E were l‐alanine, glucose, lactate, and bicarbonate (CO 2 ). Germination occurred only in the following combinations of these compounds: l‐alanine+glucose+lactate, l‐alanine+glucose+bicarbonate, or l‐alanine+lactate+bicarbonate.