Energy metabolism of the contagious equine metritis bacterium.

The energy metabolism of the English E-CMO strain of contagious equine metritis bacterium was studied in whole cells and cell extracts. This bacterium appears to have an active Krebs cycle and probably obtains energy by oxidative phosphorylation since glycolysis and the hexose monophosphate pathways appear to be absent. These conclusions are based on the findings that [U-14C]glucose incorporation by this bacterium is below the level of detection, and that respiration is stimulated by Krebs cycle intermediates (i.e., malate, citrate, and succinate), but not by glucose, fructose, maltose, or sucrose. Furthermore, support comes from the fact that enzymes generally associated with the Krebs cycle and electron transport (i.e., malate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, fumarate hydratase, malate dehydrogenase [decarboxylating], cytochrome oxidase, superoxide dismutase, NADH dehydrogenase, and catalase) were detected. Those enzymes normally associated with glycolysis and the hexose monophosphate pathways (i.e., hexokinase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose biphosphate aldolase, glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, pyruvate kinase, phosphate acetyl transferase, acetate kinase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and lactate dehydrogenase) were below the level of detection.