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Abstract
SUMMARY: An account is given of the development of a reliable method for the isolation of Streptococcus pluton (Bacillus pluton White), an organism associated with European foul-brood disease of the larval honeybee. S. pluton, isolated as an anaerobe, may be trained to grow as an aerobe in rod form. Its principal anaerobic growth requirements are a low molar ratio of Na: K, high inorganic phosphate concentration, glucose or fructose, and undetermined factors provided by yeast extract. Peptones are harmful to growth. Aerobic growth has no very critical requirements other than glucose, fructose or sucrose. Bacterium eurydice White which, together with S. pluton, causes European foul-brood disease grows well anaerobically on a yeast extract + glucose + fructose medium; either sugar alone supports only feeble anaerobic growth. Anaerobic growth of B.eurydice is also accelerated by a low molar ratio of Na: K and is inhibited by peptones. S. pluton and B.eurydice appear to be separate organisms; no evidence has been obtained to support claims by previous workers that S. pluton is a variant of B. eurydice.
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