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Sequence of Events During Germination of Putrefactive Anaerobe 3679 Spores¹

^a Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822

ABSTRACT

The sequence of changes during germination of putrefactive anaerobe 3679h spores was studied under aerobic conditions in a solution containing L-alanine and sodium pyrophosphate. Evidence that specific changes occurred in two distinct regions of the spore is given by data on several criteria that were used to measure germination. During the initial stage of germination, the absorbancy decreased, dipicolinic acid was released, the spores lost their resistance to heat and toxic chemicals, and the spore periphery (cortex) darkened gradually under phase-contrast microscopy. The final stage of germination was characterized by changes in the central spore region (core), notably phase darkening of the spore center and stainability with mercurochrome, and by a slight additional absorbancy decrease.

¹ Presented in part at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Atlantic City, N.J., 25–29 April 1965. Published with approval of the Director of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station as Technical Paper 875.