A Systematic Study of Microörganisms Which Decompose the Specific Carbohydrates of the Pneumococcus

The soil bacteria which split the specific carbohydrates of the pneumococci differ in form and in cultural characters. The re-sults of experimental studies on their immunological significance have already been reported (Sickles and Shaw, 1933, 1934). A systematic study of the different strains has been made in order to determine their relationships to each other and to known groups of soil organisms; this report records the results of that study. The cultures described are of four distinct types: 1. Large spore-bearing rods which decompose type III pneu-mococcus specific carbohydrate, similar to those described by Dubos and Avery (1931); and, in addition, a strain which also utili,zes agar. 2. Very small non-sporulating rods which attack the non-type-specific carbohydrate obtained from a degraded type I pneumo-coccus and the so-called "C " substance from typical strains. 3. Bacteria, oval in form, which decompose the specific carbo-hydrate of type II pneumococcus. 4. Slender rods with tapering ends, which utilize the specific carbohydrate of type I pneumococcus. SOURCE OF STRAINS AND METHODS OF ISOLATION With the exception of the very small non-sporulating rod which acts on the atypical I carbohydrate, of which we have only one culture, several strains of each of the above types were obtained