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From: SE {ecoli at cix.compulink.co.uk} at UUCP
Date: 10/13/95 10:36PM
To: Enevold Falsen
*To: #Bionet Microbiology
Subject: Re: organism odors ( was re: Ecoli?)
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I have not been following the 'odor debate' from the start, but here are
some comments unrespectfully blended with Kathryn L. Sherlock'
observations (KLS):
Obviously the medium is very important. Odor may reveal the
kind of metabolism: Examples from the formic acid
fermentation:
Klebsiella, Enterobacter will have a nicer smell ('aromatic') than
Escherichia coli (more acid = lower pH = sticky).
Escherichia coli (KLS:on MAC is almost sweet, but on BAP is like
mothballs)
Example from the propionic acid fermentation:
Propionibacterium acnes (smells quite good under certain conditions).
Even butyric acid has an agreable smell in very low
concentrations, and
Clostridium and other strict anaerobic bacteria mostly smell awfully
due to surproduction of metabolic products and a large
number of degradation products (enzymatically very active
organisms)
Corynebacterium diphtheriae smells due to the reduction of tellurite
For strict aerobic organisms, the odor may be more or less
the same on different media, and degradation products (like
ammonia) may be traced:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (KLS:grape kool-aid) ?
Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia (KLS:stinks, hard to
describe)(my nose has not detected any reproducible smell)
Stenotrophomonas (formerly Xanthomonas) maltophilia (KLS:ammonia)
(is not the only organism smelling ammonia)
Chryseobacterium (formerly Flavobacterium) species (KLS:tutti-frutti)
(may also smell ammonia)
Staphylococcus (KLS:species vary from "fresh-sweet" to "dirty-wet dog")
Proteus mirabilis (KLS:another tough one)
Haemophilus species (KLS:musty-mousy) ??
Streptococcus bovis (KLS:butter-rum) (not so easy to identify ?)
some "normal flora" sputum cultures KLS:(which bug, I don't know)
have a smell that I can only describe as "Fritos" (KLS:the corn
chip)
KLS:one strain of Pseudo last year that absolutely reeked of dirt and moldy
potatoes. The whole lab just stank for days after the plate had
been already bagged and autoclaved!
Serratia species may have the 'potatoe' odor or the 'ammonia' odor.
Streptococcus 'milleri' (I can't remember if it is S.anginosus, S.intermedius or
S.constellatus) has a special odor.
Campylobacter concisus smells 'horse urine'
Alcaligenes faecalis (formerly Alcaligenes odorans) has the best smell of all,
but it is close to the smell of Flavobacterium odoratum.
Very subjective - but very usefull !
Could we make the list longer ?
Enevold Falsen
************ CCUG = Bacterial strains & Identification *************
Enevold Falsen, Civ.ing. - Curator Voice: +46.31.60 46 25
Culture Collection, University of Goteborg Fax: +46.31.82 54 84
Guldhedsg 10, S-413 46 Goteborg, Sweden IN: <ccugef at ccug.gu.se>
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