Germination of spores of Clostridium bifermentans by certain amino acids, lactate and pyruvate in the presence of sodium or potassium ions.

Spores of Clostridium bifermentans germinated in the presence of L-alanine and sodium ions. The rate of germination was not altered by the addition of D-alanine but was increased by L-a-amino-n-butyrate, L-lactate, Lor D-arginine, L-histidine, DL-ornithine, L-lysine, pyruvate, Lor D-serine, L-phenylalanine or L-proline and decreased by D-phenylalanine, L-isoleucine, glycine or L-threonine. Combinations of some organic acids such as L-phenylalanine, L-arginine, L-lactate, L-serine and glycine induced germination in the absence of L-alanine. No germination occurred in the presence of L-alanine if sodium ions were absent and replacement of sodium by potassium ions reduced the germination rate in different mixtures of organic acids. Use of different cations also altered the germination rate, although the change depended on the organic germinants present.