Abstract
The insect Cicadella viridis has two symbiotic bacteria, one producing a green pigment, the other B. carotene. The red bacterium is a diagenete1, or dysgonic commensal, of the other partner. However, a pure culture has been grown on media with liver extracts. It thus appeared that if the organism is dependent upon a metabolite present in liver extracts, its quantity present in the latter can be judged by the growth of this organism. For this purpose a basal medium was prepared with the following composition: glucose 2 per cent; peptone 1 per cent; citric acid 0.2 per cent; alkaline sodium phosphate 0.4 per cent; sodium chloride 0.2 per cent; magnesium sulphate 0.1 per cent. Only upon the addition of liver extracts would the bacterium grow. Growth was apparent after 72 hours and was suitable for comparison after seven days.
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Curr. Sci., 9, 495 (1940).
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MAHDIHASSAN, S., BAKSHI, V. A Microbiological Method of Standardizing Liver Extracts. Nature 160, 404 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/160404a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/160404a0
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