Studies on bacterial utilization of uronic acids. II. Growth response and oxidative activity of various species.

The ability of members of the colon-typhoiddysentery group of bacteria to utilize glucuronic acid was established some years ago (Kay, 1926; Quick and Kahn, 1929). Subsequently, Heald (1952a) isolated a number of coliform bacteria from rumen contents which fermented glucuronic acid to products quite different from those produced by the fermentation of glucose. Kraght and Starr (1952) reported that fermentation of galacturonic acid by preadapted Erwinia carotovora proceeded rapidly while glucose grown cells were inactive. Metabolic studies by Cohen (1949) revealed that resting cells of galacturonate adapted Escherichia coli strain K-12 oxidized glucuronate at about 70 per cent of the rate on galacturonate. Glucuronate adapted cells had the same relative activity on galacturonate. We have found (Payne, 1956) that resting cells of Serratia marcescens cultured on either acid oxidize glucuronate rapidly and galacturonate slowly. This study represents an investigation of the adaptability of a variety of species to uronic acids in culture and of the oxidative response of resting cells grown on glucose or galacturonate to the uronic acids.