Occurrence of rhizobia in the gut of the higher termite Nasutitermes nigriceps.

Wood-eating termites feed on a diet highly deficient in nitrogen. They must complement their diet with the aid of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Nitrogen fixation in the gut has been demonstrated, but information about nitrogen-fixing bacteria in pure culture is scarce.

Cellulosimicrobium variabile sp. nov., a cellulolytic bacterium from the hindgut of the termite Mastotermes darwiniensis.

A novel cellulolytic and xylanolytic bacterium, strain MX5T, was isolated from the hindgut contents of the Australian termite Mastotermes darwiniensis (Froggatt). The isolate was a facultative anaerobe and had a Gram-positive cell-wall profile. The rod-shaped bacterium formed irregular coryneform and coccoid cells during growth.