Slime Polysaccharides of the Enterobacteriaceae

Abstract

A PREVIOUS note¹ described the stimulation of slime formation in the Enterobacteriaceae at room temperature by the addition of phosphate to the medium. When the phosphate was used at a concentration of 0.2 M, many organisms not usually recognized as possessing the property formed abundant slime, and those able to produce it without the addition of phosphate showed much heavier yields when phosphate was added. This work showed slime formation to be a widespread property in the Enterobacteriaceae although, under the conditions of culture ordinarily used, it is not usually manifested.