Waksman — 6 — Actinomycetes 



was given as Actinoviyces hovis. More detailed descriptions were pre- 

 sented in 1890 by Bostroem (44) and by Wolf and Israel (512), the 

 latter having established that actinomycosis in man is caused by an 

 anaerobic form, growing at 37°C., which is also infectious to animals. 

 It has been suggested that this organism be divided into two forms, one 

 causing human diseases, and the other, animal diseases. The reasons 

 for and against the division will be presented later. 



2. Streptothrix Cohn, F. (1875).— Although Streptothrix was the 

 first name proposed for a true actinomyces, it has not recei\'ed wide rec- 

 ognition. This is due largely to the fact that the name had been pre- 

 empted: CoRDA used it in 1839 for a true fungus, which he designated 

 Streptothrix fttsca. Some of the early students of the actinomycetes 

 (32) recognized this and insisted upon the greater justification of the 

 designation Actinoviyces. Another reason why the generic name Strep- 

 tothrix has not been generally accepted is that Cohn himself failed to 

 differentiate sufficientlv between the organism to which he gave this 

 name and the forms designated as Clndothrix, which are now known 

 to be true bacteria. 



3. Cladothrix Cohn, F.— The organisms recognized as Cladothrix 

 Cohn represent a group of thread-forming, non-branching bacteria, 

 which produce slimy capsules; they multiply by means of motile conidia 

 ^Cladothrix dichotovm^ and are often found in mouths of animals. 

 The use of this term by many of the early students of actinomvcosis or 

 pseudotuberculosis in man (109, 4) was soon disregarded. 



4. Leptothrix Kiitzing, F. T. (1843).— The generic name Leptothrix 

 has often been applied to the actinomvcetes, although it was originally 

 proposed and is now commonly used to designate a group of thread-form- 

 ing, non-branching bacteria. These organisms embrace certain slime- 

 forming iron-bacteria (L. ochraced) and various mouth-inhabiting 

 bacteria (L. huccdis), which later came to be designated as Leptotrichia 

 Trevisan (420). 



5. Discomyces Rivolta (1878).— A certain amount of recognition 

 has been accorded the generic name Discomyces. This name had pre- 

 viously been applied to a group of true fungi and has not, therefore, 

 been generally accepted (98). 



6. Oospora Wallroth, F. C, (1833).— The name Oospora also was 

 first applied to a group of true fungi. Nevertheless, Sauvageau and 

 Radais (384) attempted, in 1892, to describe the actinomycetes under 

 this genus. Thaxter (415), as well, designated an important group of 

 soil actinomycetes, namely, those that produce potato scab, by this generic 

 name. It was later established that the causative agent of this disease 

 belongs to the true actinomycetes (161). 



7. Nocardia Trevisan (1889).— The generic name Nocardia was 

 used to designate an organism belonging to the actinomycetes which was 

 isolated by Nocard from "farcine du boeuf." Wright (519) proposed 

 limitation of this name to a disease condition which is accompanied by 



