SPECIES OF STREPTOMYCES 87 



Nitrate: No reduction. 



Source: Sputum of patient with chronic lung disease. 



83. Streptomyces griseus (Krainsky emend. Waksman et al.) Waks- 

 man et al. (Krainsky, A., Centrbl. Bakt. II, 41, 1914, 639-688.) 



Vegetative growth: Colonies smooth or folded, colorless, later turning 

 olive-buff. 



Aerial mycelium: Abundant, powdery, water-green. Sporophores pro- 

 duced in tufts (original Krainsky and Krassilnikov report, spiral forma- 

 tion). Spores spherical to oval, 0.8 by 0.8-1 .7m- 



Synthetic agar: Growth thin, spreading, colorless, becoming olive-buff. 

 Aerial mycelium thick, powdery, water-green. 



Nutrient agar: Growth abundant, almost transparent, cream-colored; 

 aerial mycelium powdery, white to light gray. No soluble pigment. 



Glucose agar: Growth elevated in center, radiate, cream-colored to 

 orange, erose margin. 



Potato: Growth wrinkled yellowish to brownish, covered with white, 

 powdery aerial mycelium. 



Gelatin: Surface growth greenish yellow or cream-colored with brownish 

 tinge. Liquefaction rapid. 



Milk: Ring cream-colored; coagulation with rapid peptonization, becom- 

 ing alkaline. 



Starch: Growth thin, spreading, transparent. Hydrolysis strong. 



Glucose broth: Pellicle abundant, much-folded, yellowish with greenish 

 tinge. 



Nitrate: Reduction positive. 



Temperature: Optimum 37°C. 



Antagonistic properties: Strongly antagonistic. Different strains of this 

 organism produce different antibiotics. One of these, streptomycin, is active 

 against a large number of bacteria and actinomycetes, but not against 

 fungi and viruses. Some strains produce grisein. Others form candicidin. 



Habitat: Soils, river muds, throat of chicken. 



Remarks: The foregoing description is based largely on the culture iso- 

 lated in 1915 by Waksman and Curtis. It is the latter description which 

 was used for identifying the streptomycin-producing strain. This strain 

 shows in its mycelium no spirals but tuft-like masses of sporulating hyphae. 

 (See Waksman, S. A., Reilly, H. C, and Harris, D. A., J. Bacteriol., 56, 

 1948, 259-269.) 



84. Streptomyces longissimus (Krassilnikov) comb. nov. (Krassilnikov, 

 N. A., Actinomycetales, Akad. Nauk. USSR, Moskau, 1941, 38.) 



