First isolated in 1926, Clostridium thermocellum has recently received increased attention as a high utility candidate for use in consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) applications. These applications, which seek to process lignocellulosic biomass directly into useful products such as ethanol, are gaining traction as economically feasible routes toward the production of fuel and other high value che...

Actively growing aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were screened by a plate assay, with reconstituted guinea pig collagen as a substrate, for their ability to produce a collagenolytic factor. Collagenolytic activity was not demonstrated among the aerobic organisms tested, with the exception of one strain of Staphylococcus aureus (only when grown under anaerobic conditions). Collagenolytic activity...

Sixty samples of soil collected from different areas were examined for the presence of Clostridium tetani. The samples were collected during the pre-monsoon hot weather and the methods employed in the isolation and study of the cultures we're on the lines found satisfactory by Fildes (1925a and b). A summary of the methods employed is outlined below :? Approximately 2 to 3 c.cm. of ground-up so...

Using Streptococcus pyogenes as a model, we previously established a stepwise computational workflow to effectively identify species-specific DNA signatures that could be used as PCR primer sets to detect target bacteria with high specificity and sensitivity. In this study, we extended the workflow for the rapid development of PCR assays targeting Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Cl...

Bacteria of the Clostridium genus are often described only as a biological threat and a foe of mankind. However, many of them have positive properties and thanks to them they may be used in many industry branches (e.g., in solvents and alcohol production, in medicine, and also in esthetic cosmetology). During the last 10 years interest in application of C. botulinum and C. tetani in medicine si...

BYRD, THOMAS R. (Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Mass.), AND H. L. LEY, JR. Clostridium tetani in a metropolitan area: limited survey incorporating a simplified in vitro identification test. Appl. Microbiol. 14:993-997.1966In a limited survey, three toxigenic and one nontoxigenic strains of Clostridium tetani were isolated from 18 environmental samples from metropolitan Bost...

The Clostridium genus is a large, diverse group consisting of Gram-positive, spore-forming, obligate anaerobic firmicutes. Among this group are historically notorious pathogens as well as several industrially relevant species with the ability to produce chemical commodities, particularly biofuels, from renewable biomass. Additionally, other species are studied for their potential use as therape...