[Ecologic features of cultures of the species Clostridium gürfelii]

The Clostridium cultures decomposing pectin were isolated from flax straw during flax retting. The activity was manifested only at high pH values, the optimum pH being 6.7--8.2. Such ecological adaptation of the cultures is determined by the properties of the pectolytic enzyme complex which they synthesize. The complex does not contained polygalacturonase (the optimum pH 5.0) but has a high activity of pectate transeliminase (the optimum pH 8.0--8.4). The cultures differ from Clostridium felsineum which possesses a high activity of polygalacturonase and therefore can decompose pectin in acid medium. By their morphological, cultural and physiological properties, the bacteria are classed as Clostridium güfelii (Prévot, 1966).