SUMMARY: Staphylococcus flavocyaneus produces at least two pigments on glucose yeast-extract agar; a violet diffusible pigment and a yellow non-diffusing pigment. On some media the production of violet diffusible pigment is inhibited. In broth cultures of this organism a mutation takes place giving rise to yellow-pigmented mutants which have lost the ability of producing the violet pigment. A considerable accumulation of these mutants occurs in cultures on both solid and liquid media. No reversion to the violet-pigmented state or other change in pigmentation in the mutants has been observed.
The yellow-pigmented mutants do not differ from strains of Micrococcus luteus with the exception of some characteristics which are variable within that species. This supports the conclusions of Kocur & Martinec (1963) that Staphylococcus flavocyaneus Knaysi should be regarded as a strain of Micrococcus luteus (Schroeter) Cohn.
BraunW.,
GoodlowR. J.,
KraftM.,
AltenbemR.,
MeadD.1951; The effects of metabolites upon interactions between variants in mixed Brucella abortus populations. J. Bact 62:45
BraunW.,
FirsheinW.,
WhallonJ.1957; Effects of desoxyribonucleic acid breakdown products on bacterial population changes and virulence. Science 125:445
FirsheinW.,
BraunW.1958; On the nature of the selective effects of desoxyribonucleic acid digest upon pneumococci of different virulence. Proc. nat. Acad. Sci., Wash 44:918
FirsheinW.,
BraunW.1960; Effects of enzymatic deoxyribonucleic acid digests on population changes and deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis of pneumococci. J. Bact 79:246