Alanine synthesis and carbohydrate oxidation by smooth Brucella abortus.

Although the metabolism of many bacterial species has been studied intensively, adequate knowledge of the metabolic activity of pathogenic organisms, including Brucella, is lacking. The biochemistry d physiology of Bruce>a recently have been summarized by Hoyer (1950). Goodlow et al. (1950) have demonstrated a direct correlation between alanine production and the establishment of nonsmooth variants in originally smooth populations of Brucella spp. This finding has led to a study of the mechanism by which alanine is synthesized in Brucella. The elucidation of these metabolic processes is of considerable importance in relation to population phenomena involving changes in colony type, antigen production, and loss of virulence.