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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1974 October; 28(4): 594-599
Copyright © 1974 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Isolation of Ureolytic Peptostreptococcus productus from Feces Using Defined Medium; Failure of Common Urease Tests

Department of Diary science and Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801; and Anaerobe Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

ABSTRACT

Colony counts of fecal samples from three persons, obtained by using a chemically defined anaerobic roll-tube medium (containing glucose, maltose, glycerol, minerals, hemin, B-vitamins, methionine, volatile fatty acids, sulfide, bicarbonate, agar, carbon dioxide (gas phase), and 1 mM NH₄⁺ as main nitrogen source), averaged 60% of the 8.8 x 10¹⁰ bacteria per g obtained when 0.2% Trypticase and 0.05% yeast extract were added to the otherwise identical medium. When 0.2% vitamin-free Casitone replaced Trypticase and yeast extract, counts were 94% those of the more complex medium. When urea-nitrogen was added to the defined medium as the main nitrogen source in place of NH₄⁺, counts of relatively large colonies averaged 1.0 x 10⁹ per g of feces from five persons—1.1% of counts on the medium containing Trypticase and yeast extract. All of the organisms from the large colonies in the urea roll tubes were morphologically similar, and all six representative strains isolated were identified as urease-forming Peptostreptococcus productus, a species not previously known to produce urease. Ureolytic strains of Selenomonas ruminantium and P. productus were negative for urease activity in three assay media when inocula were from media containing complex nitrogen sources. The study documents that P. productus is the most numerous ureolytic species so far found in human feces and suggests that NH₄⁺ and more complex organic nitrogen sources strongly repress its production of urease. The study also indicates the efficacy of chemically defined media for direct selective isolation of nutritional groups of bacteria from feces.