Klebsiella - not with inulin

[Guest guest]

Let's put this one to bed pretty conclusively. From " Inulin: A

Comprehensive Scientific Review " on my website:

Several references identified klebsiella pneumoniae as an inefficient

or non-inulin fermenter (Brenner, 1980; McKellar, Modler, - Mullin,

1993; Yazawa - Tamura, 1982). The relative growth parameters of K.

pneumoniae are chain dependent, as the organism does not possess highly

active intracellular 2,1 P-D-fructan-fructanohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.7)

enzyme. As analytical grade, long chain inulin (DP > 15, modal value of

22 units) has typically been used as control substrate in research and

for identification of K. pneumoniae. Negative growth data is widely

reported for this organism. The pathogen K. pneumoniae is indicated as

growing well on short chain fructooligosaccharides, 1 - nystose,

fructosylnystose, and FOS synthesized from sucrose and composed of GFn

[n=B(2-1) linked fructose moieties bound to a glucose molecule; 2< n

<4] (Mitsuoka et al., 1987).

Th inulin I have is average DP 23. That it will not grow Klebsiella at

all is why it's used as a test for it. Note that it does grow on FOS.

" Nuff said!

Duncan Crow

http://members.shaw.ca/duncancrow/