N()Mi:\('i.A'rrin: axd ci'A'krai, s^stiims oi' ci.AssiFirATiox 



59 



^ 



X 



y 



P. 



Figure 27. S. riinosiis. 



(hri.r Pinoy), anaerobic, without aerial 

 hyphae. 



3. Asteroides, aerobic, without aerial 

 mycelium, fragmenting into bacillary frac- 

 tions, partially acid-fast, little adherent 

 colonies. 



These three genera corresjjoud fairly 

 closely to the presently recognized Strepto- 

 myces, Actinomyces, and N^ocardi'a, respec- 

 tiveh'. 



In 1989, there were presented before the 

 Third International Congress for Micro- 

 biology, a series of papers on the classifica- 

 tion of actinomycetes that can be briefly 

 summarized here. 



Xaeslund (1940) emphasized llint ihc 

 following characteristics should be con- 

 sidered: (1) branching or nonbranching of 

 the hyphae; (2) filamentous, mycelial forms 



or isolated rod-shaped elements; (3) wavy 

 or straight filaments; (4) presence or absence 

 of conidial spores; (5) aerobic or anaerobic 

 manner of growth; (6) saprophytic or "ani- 

 mal-pathogenic" forms. No importance was 

 attached to club-formation, presence of 

 radiate granules, acid-fast character, pres- 

 ence of "wavy" filaments or dissimilarities 

 in metabolism. Puntoni (1940) suggested 

 division of the actinomycetes on the basis 

 outlined by Puntoni and Leonard!. Erikson 

 emphasized the justification of distinguish- 

 ing the two anaerobic forms, namely the 

 "Israeli," or human type, and the "bovis," 

 or microaerophilic forms found in cattle. 

 Krassilniko\- and Waksman and Umbreit 

 presented their systems which are now dis- 

 cussed in detail. 



Krassilniko\' at first accepted the classifi- 



