Investigations of culture and properties of Afipia spp.

The culture conditions of Afipia felis, A. broomeae, A. clevelandensis and three unnamed Afipia genospecies were investigated on BCY agar supplemented with different substances known as growth factors of Legionella spp. and, furthermore, with sodium chloride and other salts. The organisms were found to be susceptible to a certain degree to byproducts of the autoclaving which are scavenged by activated by charcoal. Growth was weakly enhanced by ferric pyrophosphate, cystein.HCl, and alpha-ketoglutarate. These substances are no obligatory growth factors. The optimal pH value was about 6.8. Afipia spp. showed a strong susceptibility to NaCl and other salts. They possess phosphatase, phosphoamidase, phosphodiesterase, a weak sulfatase, glycine aminopeptidase, and L-lysine aminopeptidase. The strains differed with regard to other proteases and aminopeptidases. The decimal reduction times of A. felis at 55 degrees C and 60 degrees C were 11 min, < 1 min, respectively.