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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 992

Colin R. Curds; The flocculation of suspended matter by Paramecium caudatum. J.Gen.Microbiol. 33:357-363, 1963

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Paramecium caudatum has been shown to cause the flocculation of indian ink particles. Flocculation has been demonstrated to be due to: (a) the secretion of a substance 'P', a carbohydrate whose monosaccharide constituents are glucose and arabinose, (b) the ingestion of particles by the cell which are then bound together by a sticky mucoprotein. Substance 'P' is adsorbed on to indian ink particles present, which results in a change of their surface charge and the aggregation into floccules. Substance 'P' has been labelled with [14C]glucose which then appeared in the floccules.