Uricolysis by Escherichia spp..

It has generally been accepted that Aerobacter but not Escherichia spp. utilize uric acid as a primary source of nitrogen (S. A. Koser, J. Infect. Diseases 23:377, 1918; C. C. Chen and L. F. Rettger, J. Bacteriol. 5:253, 1920; N. B. Mitchell and M. Levine, J. Bacteriol. 36:587, 1938). Yet, P. J. Armstrong, Jr., and R. F. Wiseman (Bacteriol. Proc., p. 159, 1962) reported that in rats the degradation of ingested uric acid was not only attributed to the normal uricolytic bacteria (Aerobacter), but also to the appearance of increased numbers of "uricolytic Escherichia coli." L. N. Bare, R. F. Wiseman, and 0. J. Abbott (J. Bacteriol. 87:329, 1964), on the other hand, noted an increase in the number of cells of Aerobacter spp. and lower levels of uric acid in the intestinal tract of chicks fed antibiotics and uric acid, but no increase in the numbers of Escherichia spp. The present work was undertaken to determine whether Escherichia spp. are uricolytic. Isolates of Escherichia spp. were obtained from the intestinal contents of chicks, quail, and rats, and from human and quail feces. The contents