A study of the cider-sickness bacillus; a new variety of Zymomonas anaerobia.

Cider sickness is a disorder of sweet low-acid ciders and perries. The causal organism was isolated after anaerobic incubation of the centrifuged deposit from infected cider on a medium which contained apple juice, 1 yo (w/v) yeast extract and 10 pg. Actidione/ml., at pH 4.5. The causal organism found was a Gram-negative motile rod for which the name Zymomonas anaerobia var. ponuzceae is proposed on the basis of a comparison of its morphology, cultural and biochemical characters with those of Termobacterium mobile Lindner (synonyms : Pseudomonas lindneri, Zymomonas mobile) and Achromobacter anaerobium Shimwell (synonym : Saccharomonas anaerobia). It is proposed that the generic name Zymowwnas, Kluyver & van Niel (1936) be adopted for the organisms isolated by Lindner (1928) and Shimwell (1937) and the organism described in this paper. The distinctive character which places these three organisms together in a separate genus in the tribe Pseudomonadeae is their ability to ferment glucose to give almost a theoretical yield of ethanol.