MANGANESE AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR SPORULATION IN THE GENUS BACILLUS

Abstract
The requirement for Mn as an essential element for sporulation in the genus Bacillus has been demonstrated on agar plates and in shake flasks. Filter paper disks saturated with manganous solns. stimulated the sporulation of B. megatherium, B. betanigrificans, B. polymvxa, B. alvei, B. brevis and 3 strains of B. subtilis. Using peptone as well as chemically defined media in shake flasks, it was shown that sporulation is specifically dependent on the presence of Mn at a concn. greater than that required for full vegetative growth of B. subtilis, ATCC 6633, studied as a representative of the genus.