Catalase-negative Escherichia coli isolated from blood

A catalase-negative variant of Escherichia coli was isolated from the blood of a patient with acute leukemia who had been treated with various antibiotics and gentamicin. This small-colony variant grew almost as actively under anaerobic conditions as its large-colony revertant or E. coli NIHJ JC-2. The variant was resistant to gentamicin, in contrast with the revertant. Streptomycin and hemin stimulated growth of the variant slightly. With repeated subculturing the variant tended to increase slightly in colony size with coincident recovery of weak catalase production. The possibility that such a variant may have been induced by gentamicin was indicated.