A BACTERIAL PATHOGEN OF RHODELLA-RETICULATA

A bacterium was isolated which caused disease in a laboratory culture of the red alga, Rhodella reticulata. The organism was an aerobic Gram -negative rod, aflagellate and pigmented. The absorption maximum of th e pigments in methanol was 460 nm. The bacterium showed hydrolytic act ivity towards agar and produced extracellular agarase. The organism ut ilized monosaccharide constituents of the polysaccharide of R. reticul ata, as well as the whole polysaccharide of alga, as a sole carbon sou rce. The bacterium was identified as Cytophaga sp. LR2.