Competitive growth experiments with related pairs of tartrate-fermenting and tartrate-non-fermenting strains of Salmonella typhimurium: relevance to biotyping studies

• Published in: Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Mikrobiologie und Hygiene. 1. Abt. Originale, A, Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Infektionskrankheiten und Parasitologie Vol. 253; no. 4; p. 515
• Main Authors: Old, D C, Barker, R M, Alfredsson, G A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.02.1983
• Subjects: Animals; Cattle - microbiology; Cell Division; Chickens - microbiology; Culture Media; Fermentation; Humans; Mutation; Rhamnose - metabolism; Salmonella typhimurium - genetics; Salmonella typhimurium - growth & development; Salmonella typhimurium - metabolism; Stereoisomerism; Tartrates - metabolism
• DOI: 10.1016/S0174-3031(83)80102-4
• ISSN: 0174-3031

For each of the isomers of tartaric acid, meso- or d- or l-, a pair of strains of Salmonella typhimurium was obtained, the one, a naturally occurring, non-fermenting strain and the other a spontaneous, tartrate-fermenting mutant derived from it. For each of the pairs of strains, competitive mixed cultures were grown from inocula of the tartrate-fermenting and tartrate-non-fermenting strains in peptone medium without or with the appropriate tartrate isomer. In each experiment, small numbers of tartrate-fermenting bacteria outgrew small or large numbers of tartrate-non-fermenting bacteria in 24 hours in tartrate-containing but not in tartrate-free peptone medium. The results of the experiments are discussed with reference to the choice of the definitive time of reading for tartrate-utilisation tests in the biotyping of S. typhimurium.