Taxonomic Studies of the Genus Clostridium: Clostridium bifermentans and C. sordellii

Abstract
In an attempt to elucidate the taxonomic relationship of Clostridium bifermentans and C. sordellii about sixty strains assigned to one or other of the two species were examined. Two groups of strains differing in their cultural and biochemical properties were recognized. One closely resembled the type culture of C. bifermentans (Tissier and Martelly, 1902), and the other, in which some strains were pathogenic, resembled the C. sordellii isolate "82" of Sordelli. The former of these groups is clearly to be regarded as C. bifermentans and the latter as C. sordellii. It has been shown that the two species, although similar in many respects, are distinct and easily distinguishable. In view of this, the present practice of some bacteriologists of combining the two species under the name C. bifermentans is incorrect and should be discontinued.
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