BETrz, JOHN V. (St. Bonaventure tUniversity, St. Bonaventure, N.Y.), ANi) KEN-NETH E. ANDER-SON. IsolatioIn aind characterization of b)acteriophages active on Closh-idaiuni spo)o(genes. J. Bac-teIriol. 87:408-415. 1964. Twelve bacter iophages active oI1 the anaerobic species Clostr-iditoo SpoI'gentcs were studied. Fotii' of these were isolated by the authors, aind eight were obt(ained from L. S. McClung of Indialnia Uliversity. The 12 plhages Stud(ied couildC)e distinguishied il1to three gro ups on tile basis of theni pla(Ue morphology, host range, receptor sites, aSn(l serological relationships. OIne group cOintaiiie(l teni Of the phages which were serologicaly related. I'hese were separated inito three, suibgrotUps on. t ie basis of pla(lUPe morphology, host range, and ireceptoI sites. The heat sensitivities Of foUr phlages were correlated with their classifiCation in this schem1(e. Of 25 straiis (of C. spot'ogenes tested for lysogenicity, nonie was fouind to be ySOgenliC, bl)lt 9 Pro(ltice(1 bacteriocinl-like sub-stanc1es anI(d 20 weIe sensitive to oi1e oI il1or-e of these. the eNistence of bacteriophages for a imiember of the genus Clostriditini was first established by Cowles (1934), Nho isolated from sewage a phage whi(ch was active oni t svo strains of C. tetanii. Since then, several groups of workers have isolate(l plhages for other members of thiis genuis. \IcClung (1956) summililarizedt and reviewed c most of the available literature on lphages for the genus Clostridinm. Spencer (1953) listedl replorts by several Rutssian investigatois oIl phages foI C. perfrinr.get s and other toNigenic Clostridijo im species. Irerikel (1940) rel)orte(d isolation fromn river water of phages active onI C. sporogenes. How-This work is plaIt of a Ph.D. thesis submitted by one of the utitholrs (J.X.B.) to the (raduate

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BETZ, JOHN V. 1969. Structure of the proximal ends of flagella of Clostridium sporogenes. Can. J.Microbiol. 15: 761-764. The proximal ends and cellular attachment sites of flagella of the obligate anaerobe Clostridium sporogenes were examined by electron microscopy of negatively stained preparations of cells lysed by several methods. Terminal flagellar structures similar to those found in other Gram-positive bacilli were seen. The helical filament terminates in a hook region which is attached to specialized areas of the cytoplasmic membrane by a short, conical "connecting structure". The holes in the cell wall through which the flagella pass are surrounded by a circular structure, attached to the cell wall surface, described herein as a "grommet" or "eyelet". This structure is also attached to the flagellum at the juncture of the hook and filament regions, and may appear as a "collar" on detached flagella. This previously undescribed structure is shown to consist of 16 radially arranged subunits.

Many strains of Clostridium sporogenes were shown to contain two types of cells which exhibited strikingly different growth habits. Over 99% of the population of most strains were motile bacilli which occurred singly or in short chains. Infection by any of several C. sporogenes bacteriophages lysed most of these cells and revealed a minority population component consisting of cells which grew in extremely long chains. Each chain was surrounded by and contained in a long tubular polysaccharide sheath which was ultrastructurally quite separate and distinct from the cell walls of the enclosed cells. The sheathed cells were identical to "normal" cells of C. sporogenes in anaerobiosis, Gram reaction, sporulation, deoxyribonucleic base composition, general morphology, and ultrastructure. They differed from the "normal" cells in having a sheath, in being nonmotile, and in that they were infected by C. sporogenes bacteriophages but not usually lysed by them. The sheathed cells appeared spontaneously in cultures cloned from single colonies and were demonstrably present in cultures before bacteriophage infection. Thus, they were not contaminants but were normal, although inconspicuous, growth forms of C. sporogenes which were selected but not induced by bacteriophage infection.Fl, 1, S2, and 18.Culture media. Most of the media used were variations of a fluid medium designated S broth which contained: proteose peptone (Difco), 0.5%; polypeptone (BBL), 0.5%; sodium thioglycolate (Difco), 0.05%; NaCl, 0.5%; glucose, 0.3%; yeast extract (Difco), 0.1%; distilled water to volume. The pH was adjusted to 7.4 with NaOH before autoclaving. Agar was 814 on August 5, 2020 by guest http://jb.asm.org/ Downloaded from 816 BETZ on August 5, 2020 by guest