[Comparative study of the energy metabolic enzymatic activity of pigmented and pigment-free strains of Serratia marcescens].

The activity of enzymes involved in energy metabolism was investigated in the pigmented strain of Serratia marcescens and in its pigmentless variant with an elevated activity of nuclease. The pigmentless strain was found to exhibit a higher specific activity of several enzymes participating in glycolysis, the pentose phosphate cycle, and the citric acid cycle. The pigmentless strain accumulated lesser amounts of lactic acid in the medium and was characterized by the negative Voges--Proskauer reaction.