14 



THE ACTINOMYCETES, Vol. II 





chins mycelium; cul- 



X 1000 (Reproduced 



Figure 3. A. boms, br; 

 tured from human tonsil 

 from: Emmons, C. W. Puerto Rico J. Public 

 Health Trop. Med. 11: 720, 1936). 



1877; Jahr. Munch. Thierarzeneisch 5: 125, 



1877). 



Actinomyces bovis was the first authentic 

 actinomycete described as a causative agent 

 of disease; it is natural, therefore, that it 

 should have a number of synonyms. These 

 are given here, without any guarantee that 

 the list is complete. 



Synonyms: Discomyces bovis Rivolta, 

 1878; Bacterium actinocladothrix Afanasiev, 

 1888; Nocardia actinomyces de Toni and Tre- 

 visan, 1889; Actinomyces hominis Bostroem, 

 1890; Streptothrix actinomyces Rossi-Doria, 

 1891; Cladoihrix bovis Mace, 1891; Oospora 

 bovis Sauvageau and Radais, 1892; Actino- 

 myces albidoflavus Rossi-Doria, 1891; Actino- 

 myces sulphureus Gasperini, 1894; Nocardia 



bovis R. Blanchard, 1895; Streptothrix israeli 

 Kruse, 1896; Cladoihrix actinomyces Mace, 

 1897; Streptothrix actinomycotica Foulerton, 

 L899; Discomyces bovis R. Blanchard, 1900; 

 Streptothrix spitzi Lignieres, 1903; Sphaeroti- 

 lus bovis Engler, 1907; Cohnistreptothrix 

 israeli Pinoy, 1911; Actinomyces israeli Vuil- 

 lemin, 1931. See also Baldacci (1937). 



Morphology: Grows in the form of sulfur- 

 colored granules in the pus of cases of ac- 

 tinomycosis. The radiating hyphae are cov- 

 ered with extraneous material deposited by 

 the host to form clubs. Organism is gram- 

 positive, nonmotile, nonacid-fast. Colonies 

 are dull white in color, only slightly ad- 

 herent to the medium. No aerial hyphae. 

 Mycelium undergoes fragmentation very 

 rapidly into V- and Y-forms. Extensive 

 branching is rare. Hyphae less than 1 p. in 

 diameter (Fig. 3). 



Semisolid media: Growth excellent, espe- 

 cially with paraffin seal. No soluble pigment 

 produced. 



Gelatin: Growth scant, flaky. No lique- 

 faction. 



Liquid media: Occasional turbidity with a 

 light, flocculent growth. 



Egg or serum media: No proteolytic ac- 

 tion. 



Milk: Turns acid; no coagulation and no 

 peptonization. Sometimes there is no growth. 



Sugar utilization: Acid from glucose, su- 

 crose, and maltose; no acid from salicin or 

 mannitol. 



Temperature: Optimum 37°C. Does not 

 grow at 22°C. Killed at 00°C. 



Oxygen requirement: Anaerobic to micro- 

 aerophilic. Grows readily in an atmosphere 

 of C0 2 . Bovine strains are more oxygen- 

 tolerant on egg or serum media than strains 

 of human origin. 



Viability: Pure cultures do not live more 

 than 10 to 14 days. On Dorset's egg medium, 

 they may survive in an ice chest for 3 to 4 

 weeks. 



Habitat : ( )riginally found in lumpy jaw of 



