%0 Journal Article %A Boemare, N. E. %A Akhurst, R. J. %T Biochemical and Physiological Characterization of Colony Form Variants in Xenorhabdus spp. (Enterobacteriaceae) %D 1988 %J Microbiology, %V 134 %N 3 %P 751-761 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-134-3-751 %I Microbiology Society, %X Primary and secondary form variants of Xenorhabdus isolated from 21 strains (13 species) of Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae were tested for 240 biochemical and physiological characters. Primary form variants, isolated from the infective stage nematodes, could always be distinguished from the secondary by adsorption of neutral red from MacConkey agar. Lecithinase, antibiotic activity and/or adsorption of bromothymol blue were useful for distinguishing the variants of most strains. The variants of all strains also differed for other characteristics but the distinguishing characteristics varied from strain to strain. The importance of including both variants of each strain and of using appropriate methods in the study of Xenorhabdus taxonomy was demonstrated. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-134-3-751