Electron microscopic, biochemical and physiological studies of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum SS-24 and Bifidobacterium thermophilum SS-19.

Comparative studies of physiology, biochemical characteristics, and morphology by electron microscopy were conducted on Bifidobacterium pseudolongum SS-24 isolated from dogs and Bifidobacterium thermophilum SS-19 isolated from swine. Both B. pseudolongum and B. thermophilum grow unusually rapidly in the rumen fluid medium of Scott and Dehority, and reached a maximum of optical density after only 6 to 7 h of incubation. B. pseudolongum and B. thermophilum showed similar patterns of results for 21 biochemical characteristics tested, with a difference found only for N-acetyl-glucosaminidase. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that B. pseudolongum produced extensive amounts of extracellular material. The cell walls of B. pseudolongum and B. thermophilum were totally different. Transmission electron micrographs of ruthenium red-stained preparations of B. pseudolongum showed a very thick (ca. 0.2 microns) Gram-positive cell wall, whereas B. thermophilum was found to have a thin (ca. 0.05 microns) Gram-positive cell wall.