The Utilization of Amino Acids and Related Compounds by Clostridium tetani.

Studies on the metabolism of Clostridium tetani have been confined to the general changes during growth in various media. Woods and Clifton, 1937, and Barker, 1937, reported that Clostridium tetanomorphum, an anaerobe apparently closely related to C. tetani, obtains its energy by the fermentation of certain amino acids, while Clostridium sporogenes (Stickland, 1934-35) and C. botulinum (Clifton, 1940) utilize amino acids primarily by means of the "Stickland reaction", a coupled oxidation-reduction between pairs of different amino acids. These studies on the utilization of amino acids and of possible intermediate products by the pathogenic anaerobes (and closely related forms) have been extended to include the metabolic activities of C. tetani. The methods employed were essentially those previously described (Clifton, 1940). The strain of C. tetani (E-35), obtained from Dr. Ivan Hall's collection (No. 130A), is an active toxin producer.