Variable ammonia production among smooth and rough strains of Pseudomonas pseudomallei: resemblance to bacteriocin production.

The colonial morphology of some strains of Pseudomonas pseudomallei was correlated with certain biochemical and physiological traits. After 3 days of growth on Wahba or heart infusion agars, smooth-colony strains generated toxic amounts of ammonia. Under the same conditions, the rough strains simultaneously produced oxalic acid which decreased the inhibitory concentration of ammonia. The ammonia-ammonium concentrations in smooth cultures exhibited certain bacteriocin-like characteristics. An unusually stable, smooth strain (strain 165) was chosen to compare and emphasize any differences with typical, rough strain 7815. Three-day-old smooth cultures grown on Wahba agar containing 3% (w/v) glycerol demonstrated ammonia toxicity. The substitution of glucose for glycerol completely obviated this toxicity. In highly aerated Wahba broth containing glucose, the amount of ammonia found in strain 165 smooth cultures and the amount of oxalic acid found in strain 7815 rough cultures were greatly reduced. In Difco nitrate broth smooth strain 165 did not form gas, and it reduced nitrate to nitrite only. Strain 7815 produced a gas and reduced both nitrate and nitrite.