Glucose dissimilation by Clostridium tetani.

Clostridium tetani is generally considered to be a nonsaccharolytic organism and is so described in the most recent edition of Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology (Breed et al., 1957). Despite this widespread opinion, evidence to the contrary exists. Achalme (1902) reported the stimulation of growth of this organism by glucose without ferementation of glucose; Reddish and Rettger (1924) and Boorsma et al. (1939) observed the disappearance of glucose from complex media during its growth; and Lerner and Pickett (1945) reported the fermentation of glucose, with alcohol as the major product, by resting cell suspensions of this organism. In this report we present data showing that C. tetani carries out an active dissimilation of glucose initiated by an induced glucokinase, and that it possesses the key enzymes of the glycolytic pathway.