Rapid presumptive identification of anaerobes in blood cultures by gas-liquid chromatography.

Production of volatile and nonvolatile metabolic acids in blood culture broths by aerobic, facultative anaerobic, and obligate anaerobic bacteria was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Anaerobic blood culture isolates were presumptively identified by the qualitative analysis of volatile fatty acids. Isolates, with a characteristic Gram stain reaction and cellular morphology, were identified by the following acid patterns: Bacteriodes fragilis group with acetic and propionic acids; Fusobacterium with acetic, butyric, and usually propionic acids; Veillonella with acetic and propionic acids; gram-positive cocci with acetic and butyric acids; and Clostridium with acetic and butyric acids.

Binding to cell surfaces by antibodies against exoATPase.

Avian oviductal secretions contain an exoATPase which has been purified up to 900-fold. Antibodies to this fraction bind to several cell types and to membrane fractions solubilized by selected detergents. The experiments indicate that a related antigen is present in plasma membranes and that exoATPase is released by a shedding process.

Relative recovery of anaerobes on different isolation media.

The recovery of clinical anaerobic isolates on selective and nonselective agar media, as well as the time required to detect the isolates, was examined. Of a total of 235 isolates, 77, 46, and 40% were detected on Schaedler blood agar, colistinnalidixic acid blood agar, and kanamycin-vancomycin-lysed blood agar, respectively, and 94% were detected on the combination of Schaedler blood agar with kanamycin-vancomycin-lysed blood agar. A total of 19% of the anaerobes were detected after incubation for 1 day, and 70% were detected after 2 days.

Human pulmonary pasteurellosis.

Pasteurella multocida causes hemorrhagic septicemia in many domestic and wild animals. The most common human infection with P multocida is a local cellulitis following animal-inflicted wounds, preponderantly cat bites and scractches. The typical clinical manifestations and complications have been well described previously.