AN ACTINOMYCES ISOLATED PROM MAN. 169 



AN ACTINOMYCES ISOLATED FROM MAN. 



DAVID J. LEVY. 



In 1877 Bollinger recognized, as the cause of lump^-jaw in cattle, an 

 organism which he described and named Acfinoniijces. The observation 

 of other investigators have since demonstrated that the condition of 

 actinomycosis is not produced by this organism alone, but that a num- 

 ber of distinct species, possessing in common properties ■ which entitle 

 them also to classification as streptothrices, may bear an etiologic rela- 

 tion to this condition. Gradually the term ''actinomyces" has passed 

 from designating a single species of a genus, and has itself become a 

 generic term, practically synonymous with "streptothrix." Of late the 

 tendency has been to supplant the term ''actinonnces" by the term 

 "streptothrix," and we have today some forty or fifty distinct members 

 of this group. Lachner-Sandoval properly insists that preference be 

 given to ''actinomyces" for reasons of priority. 



The difl'erentiation and distinction between the various species is not 

 very definite. Various standards of classification exist. One, for in- 

 stance, is based on the pigment production. The pigment production of 

 a streptothrix is a variable quality, the same species showing marked 

 variation according to the age of the culture, the nature of culture med- 

 ium, etc. Likewise, considerable variation in other cultural characteris- 

 tics exist in the same species, due to diiferent conditions of observatioji. 

 Pathogenic streptothrices lose their virulence readily; and, after several 

 generations in artificial culture, this important means of identification 

 is lost. The thermal death point, also, serves as the point of distinction 

 between certain otherwise nearly identical organisms. 



We are, then, unwilling as yet to announce that the strepthothrix 

 which it is the purpose of this paper to describe, is an entirely new 

 species, although we have thus far been unable to find in the literature, 

 a streptothrix having the same cultural characteristics. 



This organism was isolated last summer, by Dr. Frederick G. Novy, 

 from the pus and scrapings from a patient at the University hospital, 

 and was subsequently given to me for identification. Inasmuch as this 

 case will be described by Dr. A. S. Warthin, no details need be given 

 at this time. In atteinpting to classify this organism, the scheme of iden- 

 tification of Neukirch and that of Foulerton and Jones, was followed. 

 It is therefore desirable to note that the cultural characteristics to be 

 described have been obtained on the media employed by these authors 

 in their respective classification of the ray-fungi. 



In morpholog-y, the organism does not differ from previously described 

 streptothrices. The individual colonies consist of long, interwoven, non- 

 septate, branching filaments. Within the filaments are observed deeply 

 staining coccules or rod-like modifications of the protoplasm. These 

 structures may be spores, natural cell differentiation or plasmolytic 

 products. Larger and less numerous, deeply staining bodies, however, 

 occurring laterally on the filament, or terminally on short branches, I 

 22 



