Chitinolytic bacteria of the mammal digestive tract

Chitinolytic bacteria were isolated from the digestive tract of different mammals and characterized. All isolates were facultatively anaerobic, long Gram-positive, straight rods resembling Clostridium sp. Only one isolate consisted of Gram-positive ovoid cells. All cultures grew on glucose, N-acetylglucosamine, glucosamine, galactose, starch, hemicellulose and xylan. Fermentation products were mainly formate, acetate, butyrate and lactate. The isolates were identified as Clostridium sartagoforme (2 species), C. aminovalericum, C. bifermentans and Enterococcus durans (1 isolate of each species). Exocellular fractions of all strains exhibited higher activities of all enzymes than cellular ones. Inductive effects of hemicelluloses, pectin and laminarine on chitinases were demonstrated. High exocellular endochitinase activity was found in cultures grown on chitin. N-Acetylglucosaminidase activity was low with the exception of exocellular fractions of two strains of C. sartagoforme.