Ref ID : 7775
Isabella Barna and Dale S. Weis; The Utilization of Bacteria as Food for Paramecium bursaria. Trans.Amer.Micros.Soc. 92(3):434-440, 1973
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This study was undertaken to compare the nutritional value of bacterial food organisms for Paramecium bursaria. Several bacterial species isolated from nature were tested as potential food for six stocks of Paramecium bursaria. Among the bacterial food organisms tested, those yielding the best growth are gram-negative rods. Among these, Enterobacter cloacae produced the best growth of P. bursaria. Gram-positive bacilli such as Bacillus polymyxa proved to be poor food organisms. The gram-positive coccus Micrococcus liquefaciens is toxic to all stocks of P. bursaria tested. A mixed bacterial flora yields a growth index (no. of animals at time t/no. of animals at time 0) which is intermediate to the growth indices on the single bacterial species tested separately.