ACID-FAST TYPES 387 



appearances visible. Subcutaneous inoculation into one of the hind feet often 

 leads to a more or less perfect reproduction of the natural disease. Comparatively 

 avirulent for rats, guinea-pigs, and rabbits, though intravenous inoculation of 

 culture into rabbits may sometimes lead to arthritis. 



Variation. — Pleuropneumonia-Uke bodies are constantly associated with this organism 

 (see p. 946) ; it is still doubtful whether they are variant forms or symbionts. 



Note. — Dick and TunniclifF(1918) isolated a similar organism — Actinomyces putorii — from 

 a boy bitten by a weasel. 



A. Other Anaerobic Types. 



Tunnicliff (1926) describes a weakly Gram-positive motile anaerobic organism, which 

 she isolated from a tonsillar granule. Smear preparations of the granule showed thick 

 bacilli with rounded ends, filaments, tightly waved spirilla, and cocci. Sections stained 

 with Giemsa showed bundles of filaments with the bacillary forms radiating from them. 

 In anaerobic culture on ascitic fluid tissue medium and sheep-blood agar, rosettes and 

 test-tube-brush-like forms appeared, similar to those in the original material. It is very 

 doubtful whether this organism should be included in the Actinomyces group (see also 

 Tunnicliff and Jackson 1930). 



B. Other Aerobic Types. 



(1) NON-ACID-FAST TyPES 



Actinomyces caprae. — Described by Silberschmidt (1899) in 1897. It was isolated 

 from the lung of a goat supposed to be suffering from tuberculosis. Consists of very 

 thin, wavy filaments, shoAving a varying degree of branching ; filaments segment into 

 rod and coccoid forms. On agar, dry colonies, flattened in the centre with an irregular 

 warty folded surface. In broth, surface growth of dry discoid colonies and a rough deposit. 

 No change in litmus milk. Abundant growth on potato of rose-red colonies, later becoming 

 chalky-white. No liquefaction of gelatin. Aerobic. Subcutaneous injection into rabbits 

 produces an abscess. Intravenous injection sometimes causes tubercles in various organs. 

 Guinea-pigs are rather more susceptible than rabbits (see also Galli-Valerio 1912). 



Actinomyces somaliensis. — Described by Brumpt in 1906 (see Brumpt 1927). Was 

 first isolated by Boufifard in French SomalUand from patients affected with mycetoma. 

 Consists of long branchmg filaments with truncate or sometimes tapering ends. Gram- 

 positive. Grows on agar, but better on blood agar. On this medium colonies are at first 

 small, circular, convex and translucent, but after a few days they become irregularly heaped 

 up, nodular, worm- cast, or crateriform ; they are opaque, vary in colour from white, 

 through yellowish-orange, to brown or black, often show radial segmentation which gives 

 them a stellate appearance, are extremely tough in consistency and adherent to the medium , 

 and have a peculiar odour. In broth no turbidity or surface growth, but a deposit of little 

 greyish-white puff baUs. On potato a white folded layer of growth, which in 5 to 6 days 

 becomes yellow. Peptonizes milk. Ferments no sugars. Gives rise in man to mycetoma 

 of the hand or foot. Lesions contain hard smooth yellowish-red granules, 1 mm. in 

 diameter, not dissociated by caustic potash. 



(2) AciD-FAST Types 



Actinomyces farcinicus. — Isolated by Nocard in 1888 from cattle suffering from farcy. 

 Branching filaments growing in a mycelium. Gram-positive; feebly acid-fast (seep. 375). 

 On agar it forms small, irregular, raised, opaque, yellowish-white colonies with a dull 

 mammilated powdery surface. Dry, scaly, pale yellow plaques on potato. Irregular 

 whitish masses in broth, some of which remain at the surface and others fall to the bottom. 

 No liquefaction of gelatin. No change in litmus milk. No growth anaerobically. In 

 cultures, the organism forms filamentous felted masses and diphtheroid-like bacilli. Cul- 

 tures remain viable for 4 months at 37° C. ; killed by heat at 70° C. in 10 minutes. Intra- 



