Growth of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides on media containing various sugars and amino sugars: an ampoule microcalorimetric study.

The growth of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides strain T1 on media containing various sugars, tryptose, yeast extract, salts and either pig or calf-serum or a mixture of bovine serum albumin (BSA) plus lipid was followed by ampoule microcalorimetry. Power-time (p-t) curves were reproducible and showed details of growth not observable by conventional microbiological techniques. In media with metabolisable sugars p-t curves typically showed three periods of exponential increase in power separated by transient declines or plateaux. Maximum power (Pmax) was dependent upon the nature and concentration of sugar, whether ampoules were capped in air or nitrogen, and whether the medium contained pig or calf-serum or BSA plus lipid. The highest Pmax was observed in pig-serum medium with glucose, in ampoules capped in air. Decline in power from Pmax was essentially exponential.