The Breakdown of Carbohydrates by Asterococcus Mycoides, the Organism of Bovine Pleuropneumonia

Abstract

Cell suspensions of A. mycoides oxidized glucose, fructose, and mannose. Glucose, pyruvate, lactate, and, in the presence of catalase, glycerol were oxidized quantitatively to acetate and carbon dioxide. Anaerobically, pyruvate underwent dismutation to acetate, lactate, and carbon dioxide. Neither glucose nor glycerol were attacked anaerobically by intact cell suspensions. No other pentoses, hexoses, di-, tri-, or polysaccharides, or polyhydric alcohols, were attacked by cells grown in a complex undefined medium.