Studies of sulfur metabolism of Brucella suis.

Those chemically defined media which have been proposed for cultivation of Brucella vary widely, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with respect to their content of sulfur compounds (McCullough and Dick, 1943; McCullough et al., 1947; Gerhardt and Wilson, 1948; Rode, Oglesby, and Schuhardt, 1950). Since the early studies of Zobell and Meyer (1932) there has been no critical investigation of Brucella relative to their capacities for utilizing those sulfur compounds now known to be involved in the pathways of sulfur metabolism. Experience in this laboratory suggests that more information will be required in order to define the nutritional requirements for optimum growth of these organisms. This report deals with studies of the sulfur nutrition of the suis section of 40 strains of Brucella under investigation.