Dehydrogenase patterns in the study of Bacteroidaceae

Enzyme patterns were obtained by starch-gel electrophoresis of cell-free extracts from organisms in the family Bacteroidaceae. Esterases, phosphatases, and lactic and succinic dehydrogenases were detected but offered no possibility for classification purposes. Alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase were not detected. Zymograms of malic, glutamic, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenases separated Bacteroides species from Sphaerophorus and Fusobacterium species. Malic dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were found in Bacteroides but not Sphaerophorus and Fusobacterium. These dehydrogenase zymograms placed three gram-negative, nonsporeforming anaerobic rod isolates with the Bacteroides species. A close correlation was found between the classification of Bacteroidaceae by zymogram analysis and a numerical taxonomy scheme previously published from this laboratory.