THE GENUS VEILLONELLA. 3. HYDROGEN SULFIDE PRODUCTION BY GROWING CULTURES.

Rogosa, Morrison (National Institute of Dental Research, Bethesda, Md.), and Ferial S. Bishop. The genus Veillonella. III. Hydrogen sulfide production by growing cultures. J. Bacteriol. 88:37-41. 1964.-The conditions necessary for H(2)S production by 105 strains of Veillonella, from a variety of sources and comprising seven anti-genic groups, are presented and discussed. All strains, during 1 to 2 days of growth, produced H(2)S in a defined medium supplemented with proper amounts of l-cysteine, l-cystine, reduced glutathione, thiosulfate, thiocyanate, or thioglycolate. Erratic or negative results were obtained with some commonly used media containing yeast extract and casein digest, but which were not supplemented with appropriate substrates for H(2)S production. Previous literature descriptions of V. alcalescens as not producing H(2)S are incorrect; H(2)S production, or the previously presumed lack of it, cannot be used as a criterion differentiating V. alcalescens from V. parvula.