Germination of Spores of Clostridium botulinum Type G

Germination of spores of Clostridium botulinum type G under various conditions of heat activation, incubation temperature and minimum nutrition was studied. The spores were optimally germinated in a mixture of L-cysteine + L-lactacte + bicarbonate. The rate and extent of germination were greatly increased when unheated spores were heat-activated at 75°C for 10 min before exposure to the germination medium. Maximum germination was obtained at incubation temperatures of 37 to 45°C within 1 h. However, germination occurred substantially even at 4°C if the incubation time was extended to 48 h.