ed marsden wrote:
>> Daniel Elad wrote:
> >
> > Season's greetings to everybody
> >
> > Recently I had the occasion to culture swabs from ears, eyes and noses
> > of 22 lions which were anesthetized for other reasons. The most
> > frequent bacterium isolate grows at 37C under normal atmosphere as
> > pinpoint alpha hemolytic colonies on blood agar, grows on McConkey
> > agar, seems to be Gram positive (although some faint Gram negative
> > forms are present in the background), but the most impressive
> > characteristic is that it is extremely pleomorphic: forms from cocci
> > to long, thick, filaments, some tapering at their end, are present.
> > Additional biochemical is gathered currently but I wonder if somebody
> > could give me a hint as to identity of these isolates.
> >
> > Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year
> >
> > Danny
>> Hmmmm... If I remember correctly from my microbiology classes, I thought that McConkey
> agar was selective for Gram negative bacteria?
>> I'd wait until the biochemical tests come back - it could be anything from a
> mycoplasma to a species of Neisseria. Good luck!
>> Regards, Neil
There are a number of animal pathogens and commensals of the genus
Bacillus...try the vetrinary literature. These organisms can be
Gram variable and grow on McConkey plates. The spherical forms
are their spores. Unfortunately, there are a bazillion species
and their identity is probably irrelevant...they are everywhere.
Happy New Year, George
