TRIBE v. SALMONELLEAE BERGEY, BREED AND MURRAY, 1938.

(Preprint, Manual, 5th ed., 1938 (October), vi.)

Sal.mo.nel'le.ae. M.L. fem.n. Salmonella type genus of the tribe; -eae ending to denote a tribe; M.L.
fem.pl.n. Salmonelleae the Salmonella tribe. Rods that are either motile by means of peritrichous flagella
or non-motile. Gram-negative. No spreading growth on ordinary (2 to 3 per cent) agar. Gelatin not
liquefied (exceptions have been noted, but these are rare). Milk not peptonized. Numerous
carbohydrates are attacked with the production of acid or of acid and visible gas. Lactose, sucrose and
salicin are not ordinarily attacked. Acetylmethylcarbinol is not produced. Urea not hj'drolyzed. Found in
the bodies of warm-blooded animals, including man, and occasionally in reptiles; frequently found in the
food eaten by these animals.

Key to the genera of tribe Salmonelleae.

I. Motile by means of peritrichous flagella (occasional strains of typhoids are nonmotile, and strains of
Salmonella gallinarum are frequently non-motile). Hydrogen sulfide usually produced. Ammonium
citrate normally utilized. Genus IX. Salmonella, p. 368. II. Non-motile. Hydrogen sulfide not produced.
Ammonium citrate not utilized. Genus X. Shigella, p. 384.

Genus IX. Salmonella Lignieres, 1900.*

(Rec. de med. v6t., Ser. 8, 7, 1900, 389.)

Sal.mo.nel'la. M.L. dim.ending -ella; M.L. fem.n. Salmonella named for D. E. Salmon, an American
bacteriologist.

* Prepared by Dr. Gertrude Kalz, McGill University, Montreal, P.Q., Canada, July,

1955.

FAMILY IV. ENTEROBACTERIACEAE 369

Rods which are usually motile by means of peritrichous flagella, although non-motile forms may occur.
Gram-negative. Gelatin not liquefied. Indole not produced. Hydrogen sulfide production is variable. Acid
is produced from glucose, mannitol, maltose and sorbitol. Gas production is usually observed
(exceptions are Salmonella typhosa and Salmonella gallinarum, but gas production maj^ also be absent
in other species or serotypes). Lactose, sucrose, salicin and adonitol are not attacked. The fermentation
of other carbohydrates is variable. Acetylmethylcarbinol is not produced. Methyl red test is positive.
Nitrites are produced from nitrates. Ammonium citrate is usually utilized. Urea not hydrolyzed.
KCNsensitivity is negative (Moller, VI Internat. Cong. Microbiol., Rome, ;?, 1953, 316). All known forms
are pathogenic for man and/or other animals. The type species is Salmonella choleraesids (Smith)
Weldin. Any organism showing the above-mentioned characters should be verified as a member of the
genus Salmonella by antigenic analysis. For most practical purposes the use of polyvalent or group
antisera will suflJice. Exact antigenic characterization and bacteriophage typing for epidemiological
purposes is the task oi Salmonella centers. Although manj^ strains of Salmonella are at.ypical, these may
be looked upon as exceptions which do not invalidate

the definition of the genus. Attempts to subdivide the genus Salmonella into valid species from the
taxonomic point of view have met with great difficulties. The Kauffman-White Schema (1955) (Edwards
and Ewing, Identification of Enterohacteriaceae, Burgess Publishing Co., Minneapolis, 1955, 52-60) lists
343 names. It is generally agreed that the vast majority of the organisms named do not deserve species
rank but should be considered as serological types. This fact has been officially recognized by the
Enterohacteriaceae Subcommittee in the addendum to the report presented at the 6th International
Congress for Microbiology, September 8, 1953, in Rome. "It is the recommendation of the Subcommittee
that from the date of publication of this report all new serological types of Salmonella should be
described by formula only and not by name." The adoption of this proposal would lead to the
undesirable situation that 343 or more Salmonella types would be given names similar to those given to
species, if not by meaning, certainly by implication, and that others would be known by antigenic
formula only. The suggestion by Kauffmann and Edwards (Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. and Taxon., 2,
1952, 5) to divide the genus into three species, namely, Salmonella choleraesids as type species.
Salmonella typhosa on the basis of well recognized differences from other members and Salmonella
enterica to serve as species for all serological types, appears too narrow and also somewhat
contradictory as it practically means that two type species

are chosen. Recent observations by various workers on the transduction of antigenic characters raises
the question whether such changes also occur under natural conditions and should be taken into
consideration in epidemiological conclusions. It is as yet uncertain whether these changes are
permanent or whether reversion to the original characters occurs. Until more exact knowledge on these
factors is available, the possibility must be appreciated and taken into account in epidemiological
tracings.

It is hardly possible to propose a classification for the salmonellas which can include all the factors
established for the large number of types. However, the genus is composed of disease-producing
organisms, and the first and foremost duty of any classification scheme is to make it workable under
practical routine conditions. "Systems of nomenclature are for man's convenience and cannot hope to be
wholly logical as to represent faithfully the evolution of all living things" (Andrewes, Acta Path, et Microb.
Scand., 28, 1951, 211). From this point of view it seems justified to accord species rank to those
organisms which are easily identified because they are commonly encountered and/or cause rather well
established syndromes.

Key to the species of genus Salmonella.

I. Affect both man and other animals.

A. Occur singly but not in pairs or chains.

ORDER IV. EUBACTERIALES

1. No acid or gas from arabinose.

1. Salmonella choleraesuis

2. Acid and gas from arabinose.

2. Salmonella typhimurium. B. Occurs singly, in pairs and occasionally in short chains.

3. Salmonella enteritidis.
II. Affect either man or other animals. A. Exclusively or predominantly affect man. 1. Acid but no gas from
glucose.

4. Salmonella typhosa.

2. Acid and gas from glucose. a. Occur singly but not in pairs, b. Acid and gas from xylose.

5. Salmonella hirschfeldii. bb. No acid or gas from x5-lose.

6. Salmonella paratyphi.

aa. Occurs singly and in pairs.

7. Salmonella schottmuelleri

B. Most commonly affect animals other than man. 1. Acid and gas from glucose. a. Causes abortion in
mares and other animals but not in sheep.

8. Salmonella ahortivoequina.

aa. Causes abortion in sheep but not in other animals.

9. Salmonella abortusovis.

2. Acid but no gas from glucose.

10. Salmonella gallinarum.

4. Salmonella typhosa (Zopf, 1884) White, 1930. (Bacillus des Abdominal-Ty

phus, Eberth, Arch. f. path. Anat., 81, 1880, 58; also see ihid., 83, 1881 , 486 ; Typhus Bacillen, Gaffky,
Mitteil. a. d. kaiserl. Gesundheitsamte, £, 1884, 372; Bacterium typhosum

Zopf, Die Spaltpilze, 2 Aufl., 1884, 90; Bacil

lus typhosus Zopf, Die Spaltpilze, 3 Aufl., 1885, 126; not Bacillus typhosus Klebs, Hand,

d. path. Anat., 1880; also see Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharmac, 13, 1881, 392; Bacillus

typhi Schroeter, in Cohn, Kryptogamen

Flora V. Schlesien, 3, 1886, 165; Bacillus

typhi abdominalis Fliigge, Die Mikroorga

nismen, 2 Aufl., 1886, 198; Bacterium {Eber

thella) typhi Buchanan, Jour. Bact., 3, 1918,

53 (type species of genus Eherthella Bu

chanan, loc. cit.); Salmonella typhi Warren

and Scott, Jour, of Hyg., 29, 1930, 416;

White, Jour, of Hyg., 29, 1930, 443.)

ty.pho'sa. Gr. noun typhus a stupor, here

used in the sense of typhoid; M.L. adj.

typhosris pertaining to typhoid. Rods, 0.6 to 0.7 by 2.0 to 3.0 microns, occurring singly, in pairs and
occasionally in short chains. Motile by means of peri

trichous flagella; sometimes non-motile.

Gram-negative.

Gelatin colonies: Grayish, transparent to

opaque, with leaf -like surface markings.

Gelatin stab: Thin, white, opalescent growth. No liquefaction. Agar colonies: Grayish, transparent to

opaque. Agar slant: Whitish gray, glistening,

echinulate, entire to undulate growth.

Broth: Turbid; moderate sediment; deli

cate pellicle in old cultures.

Litmus milk: Slight, transient acidity, followed by a return to neutral or to slight

alkalinit3^

Potato: Delicate, moist, slightly spread

ing, barely visible growth.

Indole not produced. Hydrogen sulfide usually produced. Acid but no gas from glucose, mannitol,
maltose, sorbitol and trehalose. Fermenta

tion of arabinose, dulcitol, xylose, inositol and d-tartrate is variable. No action on lactose, sucrose,
salicin, adonitol, rhamnose, 1-tartrate or dl-tartrate. Mucate may or may not show late fermentation.
Sodium citrate may or may not be uti

lized. Nitrites produced from nitrates. Trimethylamine produced from trimethylamine oxide (Wood and
Baird, Jour. Fish. Res. Board Canada, 6, 1943, 198).

Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. Optimum temperature, 37° C.

Antigenic structure: 9, 12, (Vi) : di : d2 . By means of Vi phages, distinct types can be recognized which
are of epidemiological

importance.
Pathogenic for laboratory animals on

parenteral inoculation. Source: Isolated from human cases of typhoid fever, from contaminated water
and from foods. Isolated once from a chicken by Henning, Onderstepoort, South Africa. Habitat: The
cause of typhoid fever.

6. Salmonella paratyphi (Kayser, 1902) Castellani and Chalmers, 1919. {Bacterium paratyphi Typus A,
Brion and Kayser, Munch, med. Wochnschr., 45, 1902, 611;

Bacterium paratyphi Kayser, Cent. f. Bakt.,

I Abt., Orig., 31, 1902, 426; Castellani and Chalmers, Man. Trop. Med., 3rd ed., 1919,

938.)

pa.ra.ty'phi. Gr. prep, para alongside of, therefore resembling; Gr. noun typhus a stupor, here meaning
typhoid fever, the typhus ahdominalis; M.L. noun paratyphusparatyphoid; M.L. gen. noun paratyphi of

paratyphoid.

Rods, 0.6 by 3.0 to 4.0 microns, occurring singly. Usually motile by means of peri

trichous flagella. Gram-negative.

Gelatin colonies: Bluish gray, homogeneous, smooth, glistening, entire to slightly

undulate. Gelatin stab: Fair surface growth. No

liquefaction. Agar colonies: Grayish, homogeneous, smooth, glistening, entire to slightly un

dulate. Agar slant: Filiform, grayish, smooth,

glistening growth.

Broth: Turbid; slight, grayish sediment. Litmus milk: Slightly acid.

Potato: Limited, dirty white streak.

Indole not produced. Hydrogen sulfide not produced by most

strains.

Acid and gas from glucose, mannitol, maltose, sorbitol, arabinose and trehalose. Fermentation of dulcitol
and rhamnose is variable. No action on lactose, sucrose,

salicin, adonitol, xylose, inositol, 1-tartrate,

d-tartrate, dl-tartrate or mucate. Sodium citrate not utilized.

Nitrites produced from nitrates. Trimethylamine produced from trimethylamine oxide (Wood and Baird,
Jour. Fish. Res. Board Canada, 6, 1943, 198).
Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. Optimum temperature, 37° C. Antigenic structure: 1, 2, 12: a: —

Source: Isolated from cases of enteric fever in man. Habitat: A natural pathogen of man causing enteric
fever. Not known to be a natural

pathogen of other animals.