Chapter XI — 185 — Human and Animal Diseases 



N. asteroides, or closely related strains have been isolated from cases 

 of diffuse peritonitis, of pseudotuberculosis with cerebrospinal menin- 

 gitis, and of brain abscesses. Sartory and Bailly (382) isolated a cul- 

 ture from the urine of a patient suspected of renal tuberculosis. The 

 organism was acid-alcohol-resistant; was cultivated on ordinary solid or 

 liquid media only with difficulty; and grew well on serum and blood 

 media at 35°-37°C. The organism, described as A. sero-^jJiilus, was be- 

 lieved to be the causative agent of renal actinomycosis. 



Various attempts have been made to study the immunological re- 

 actions of actinomycetes. Goyal (151) examined 11 cultures obtained 

 from collections and as fresh isolations. Most of them appeared to be 

 members of the genus Nocardia. When inoculated into rabbits, they 

 proved to be either entirely non-pathogenic or only slightly virulent, 

 except N. efpingeri. These cultures were grown in glycerol broth at 

 38 °C. for 30 days. Extracts were prepared in a manner comparable to 

 tuberculin. These extracts were designated as streptothricine. Their 

 antigenic reactions were very similar to tuberculin. Animals sensitized 

 to the nocardia extracts were also sensitive to tuberculin, and xnce versa. 

 Serologic studies confirmed the conclusions reached on the basis of 

 allergy tests; a common antigen was demonstrated for the tubercle bacil- 

 lus, the diphtheria organism and the nocardias. These results led to 

 the conclusion that there is a definite antigenic relationship between the 

 actinomycetes and the mycobacteria. 



Chemotherapy of Actinomycosis:— In addition to the application 

 of vaccinotherapy, radiotherapy, and chirurgy of actinomycosis, subjects 

 which need not be discussed here, extensive use is made of chemo- 

 therapy. 



A detailed survey of the various clinical aspects of actinomycosis in 

 man and of methods of treatment was made by Colebrook (73), Cope 

 (80), and others. Lyons, Owen and Ayers (273) and others (128) 

 reported favorable results from the treatment of actinomycotic cases with 

 sulfonamides, especially sulfadiazine, or with thymol (248). Long- 

 continued drug therapy is required, and the danger of recurrence is 

 always present. The favorable effect of massive doses of penicillin has 

 also been observed in a number of cases. 



Cutting and Gebhardt (82) found sulfadiazine and sulfathiozole 

 more effective than sulfonamide in inhibiting the growth of both an- 

 aerobic strains of both laboratory and freshly isolated strains of an or- 

 ganism designated as A. hoviinis. 



DoBSON, Holman and Cutting (93) obtained an apparent cure 

 from the use of sulfanilamide, iodides, and roentgen rays in the treat- 

 ment of three cases of actinomycosis. 



Dobson and Cutting (92) treated 16 cases with sulfonamide or 

 penicillin. In 7 cases, the disease was considered as cured and as ar- 

 rested in another 7. In three cases, penicillin alone was effective; in 



