Phthiocol and menadione as acetate-replacing factors for Lactobacillus delbrueckii.

MaciasR, Frank M. (Northrop Corporation, Hawthorne, Calif.). Phthiocol and menadione as acetate-replacing factors for Lactobacillus delbrueckii. J. Bacteriol. 82:657-661. 1961.-Lactobacillus delbrueckii (ATCC 9649), when cultured under nitrogen, or in ferrous iron-containing media exposed to air, requires, for the initiation of growth, compounds that are known to behave as electron acceptors. The ferrous iron probably induces what amounts to anaerobic conditions; that is, it blocks access of the organism to oxygen. Several electron carriers, such as methylene blue and naphthoquinones, stimulate growth of the organism in acetate-free media exposed to air. The most active acetate-replacing agent found is phthiocol. Methylene blue does not stimulate growth under nitrogen. It is suggested that the naphthoquinones bring about the initial oxidations required for growth by transferring the electrons to some other constituent of the medium. Growth of the organism in acetate-free media under CO(2) indicates that CO(2) or its fixation product can behave also as an initial oxidant.