Microbial Changes Leading to the Spoilage of Hung Pheasants, with Special Reference to the Clostridia

A spoilage problem affecting hung pheasants is described in which carcasses showed rapid greening and deterioration during hanging. No micro‐organisms were detected in samples of muscle tissue taken from abnormal carcasses but clostridia and often coli‐aerogenes bacteria were unusually abundant in the duodenum and in the remainder of the small intestine. The clostridia were mainly Clostridium bifermentans/sordellii or strains resembling Cl. welchii and these organisms outgrew all other bacteria in the duodenum under suitable hanging conditions. When grown at low temperatures strains of clostridia and Escherichia coli from pheasants produced large amounts of H 2 S which is concerned in the greening process. Some other properties of the clostridia are described and the significance of the spoilage problem is discussed.