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Veillonella alcalescens ATCC 17745, a strictly anaerobic, gram-negative small coccus, requires putrescine or cadaverine for growth (M. B. Ritchey, and E. A. Delwiche, J. Bacteriol. 124:1213-1219, 1975). Both putrescine and cadaverine were demonstrated to be incorporated exclusively into the peptidoglycan layer of V. alcalescens ATCC 17745. V. parvula GAI 0574 also proved to contain putrescine as a component of peptidoglycan. The primary chemical structure of the peptidoglycan common to the two Veillonella species is N-acetylglucosamine-N-acetylmuramic acid-L-alanine-D-glutamic acid gamma-meso-diaminopimelic acid-D-alanine. Putrescine or cadaverine links covalently to the alpha-carboxyl group of the D-glutamic acid residue of the peptidoglycan is necessary for normal cell growth. In V. alcalescens ATCC 17745, above 40% saturation at cadaverine linked to the alpha-carboxyl group of the D-glutamic acid residue of the peptidoglycan is necessary for normal growth.