DETECTION OF ACID PRODUCTION FROM CARBOHYDRATES BY RIEMERELLA ANATIPESTIFER AND RELATED ORGANISMS USING THE BUFFERED SINGLE SUBSTRATE TEST

One hundred and twenty-one Riemerella anatipestifer field strains from wild birds, domesticated poultry and pigs were examined for their abi lity to produce acid from carbohydrates by using conventional biochemi cal and buffered single substrate (BSS) test methods. The type strains of the species R. anatipestifer and taxometrically related genera Chr yseobacterium and Bergeyella were included in the study. In contrast t o 10 indole-positive R. anatipestifer variant strains, only a few of t he 111 typical indole-negative R. anatipestifer strains produced acid from dextrin (32%), glucose (17%), maltose (14%) and trehalose (5%) wh en the conventional test procedure was used. Using the BSS test all th e field isolates and the type strain of R, anatipestifer produced acid from one or more carbohydrates, most of them from dextrin (96%), malt ose (91%), glucose (87%), mannose (83%), less frequently from fructose (38%) and only in some cases from trehalose (19%). One hundred and si x (87%) of the R. anatipestifer strains could be assigned to 8 biovars , based on the diversity of the carbohydrate acidification patterns. T he remaining 16 R. anatipestifer isolates gave delayed reactions and d isplayed 13 different carbohydrate acidification profiles. The Chryseo bacterium and Bergeyella type strains also produced acid from more car bohydrates when the BSS test was used. The BSS-carbohydrate acidificat ion pattern of the Chryseobacterium indologenes strain was similar to that of R. anatipestifer biovar 3. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.