Morphology, cultural and biochemical characters

MORPHOLOGY, CULTURAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERS

  • Gram +ve, highly pleomorphic, chracteristic long filamentous forms are seen in stained smears of affected muscle.
  • Cigar shaped rods and citron forms are more common. Spores are oval, central or subterminal. Non-capsulated, motile by peritrichous flagella.
  • Strict anaerobe, growth at an opt.temp of 370C, growth is promoted by glucose.
  • On ordinary media, the colonies are irregular and transparent initially, turning opaque (large, grayish white on continued incubation).
  • The colonies are swarming and spreading over the entire surface.
  • On stiff agar, the colonies are irregular with a rhizoid edge. Some strains produce smooth, round colonies.
  • In cooked meat medium meat turns pink with rancid odour, and produces abundant gas (because, it is saccharolytic).
  • Like, C.perfringens, the C.septicum inoculated into litmus milk produces the classical stormy clot or stormy fermentation reaction.
  • Ferment glucose, lactose, maltose and salicin but not sucrose. Acid and gas are not produced.
Last modified: Monday, 4 June 2012, 4:44 AM