Some General Properties of a Psychrophilic Pseudomonad: the Effects of Temperature on some of these Properties and the Utilization of Glucose by this Organism and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

SUMMARY : A psychrophilic species of the genus Pseudomonas was found to be capable of growth in a simple defined medium with any one of a number of carbon sources. The growth requirements were the same at 0° and 20°. The organism vigorously oxidized glucose to gluconic and 2-ketogluconic acids. Rates of O2 uptake were measured over the range 0–40° and compared with similar measurements on P. aeruginosa. Under the experimental conditions values of Q O2 for the psychrophile were higher than those for P. aeruginosa at all temperatures, including those above 30° at which temperatures the psychrophilic organism does not grow. The values of Q O2 and their temperature coefficients were dependent on conditions of cultivation. It is concluded that the systems involved in the oxidation of glucose and gluconic acid by the two organisms may not be greatly different in those physical properties which determine their temperature relations.