Intracellular polysaccharide of Bacteroides fragilis.

Formation of iodophilic polysaccharide (IPS) from glucose was demonstrated in 27 strains of Bacteroides fragilis. Synthesis was dependent on the glucose concentration of the medium, the pH and the growth phase. When glucose was in short supply the cellular polysaccharide was degraded rapidly at pH 4.5 to 6.5 and fatty acids accumulated in the medium. Storage of IPS was not responsible for the low carbon recoveries observed in fermentation balance studies. In electron micrographs of thin sections, the IPS was observed as cytoplasmic granules dispersed throughout the whole cell. After extraction and purification the IPS was characterized as a glycogen.