THE GENUS ACTIN0M1 ( ES 



L5 



cm 1 1 le. Usually found in and aboul mouths of 

 animals. 



Remarks: King and Meyer (1957) re- 

 cently suggested thai in order to implement 

 proper identification of .1. bovis, certain se- 

 lected differentia] criteria, such as catalase 

 test, litmus milk reactions, and the utiliza- 

 tion of xylose, salicin, and raffinose, can be 

 used. Slack and Moore (1960) suggested the 

 use of fluorescent antibody formal ion for the 

 further identification of this organism. 



2. Actinomyces baudetii Brion, 1942 (Brion, 

 G. de. Rev. de Med. Voter. 91: 157, 1942; 

 Brion, G. de, Goret, and Joubert. Proc. VI 

 Congr. Intern. Patol. Comp., Madrid 1: 48, 

 1952). 



Morphology: Granules from histological 

 preparations show tangled, radiating hy- 

 phae; ends of hyphae rounded and ovoid, 

 forming a crown. Hyphae take basic stains. 

 Mycelium composed of slender hyphae, 0.2 

 to 0.4 fjL. Nonseptate. Ends swollen and 

 rounded. Copious branching. In artificial 

 media hyphae are frequently short, rarely 

 exceeding 20 m m length. 



Agar colonies: Dull, whitish granules ad- 

 hering slightly to the medium. 



Liquid media: A sediment of white gran- 

 ule- i- produced. 



Gelatin: Xo liquefaction. 



Blood serum: In 1 to 5 days, surface cov- 

 ered with white granules which are the size 

 of a pill head. 



Serum media: Xo proteolytic action. 



Brain extract: Growth favored in some 

 media. 



Indol: Production slight . 



Sugar utilization: Acid from glucose, su- 

 crose, and starch. 



I Oxygen demand: Anaerobic to microaero- 

 philic. 



I Optimum temperai me: 37 ( '. 



Pathogenicity: Pathogenic when inocu- 

 lated into dogs, rabbits, and guinea pigs 

 (forms subcutaneous 



Source: Isolated from various types of le- 

 sions in cats and dogs. 



.'!. Actinomyces cellulitis (Linhard, 1949) 

 now comb. (Linhard, J. Ann. inst. Pasteur 

 76:478, 1949). 



Synonym: Actinobacterium cellulitis bin- 

 hard. 



Morphology: Polymorphic rod-, showing 

 primary, secondary, and sometimes tertiary 

 branching. Length 5 to 7 n, diameter 0.6 n. 

 Xonmot ile. < tram-positive. 



Agar media: Colonies lenticular. No gas. 



Glucose broth cultures: No turbidity. 



Abundant growth, settling to bottom. 



( telatin: No liquefaction. 



Milk: Unchanged. 



Serum: Serophilic, but can be adapted to 

 serum-free media. 



Nitrate reduction : Positive. 



Oxygen demand: Anaerobic and micro- 

 aerophilic. Colonies produced at 4 to 5-mm 

 depth in agar media. 



Reduction: Does not reduce neutral red or 

 safranin. 



Carbon utilization: Positive utilization of 

 glucose, fructose, maltose, galactose, and 

 sucrose. Produces volatile acids (propionic 

 and formic). Production of gas may suggesl 

 either a contaminated cull ure or the absence 

 of an Actinomyces. 



Pathogenicity : Nonpathogenic. 



Habitat : ( >ral cavity of man. 



4. Actinomyces discofoliatus (Griiter, 

 L932) Negroni (Negroni, P. Mycopathol. 1: 

 81-87, L938 L939). 



Morphology: Deep colonies in semisolid 

 glucose agar are whitish, lens-shaped, crossed 

 or forming dihedral angles; margins of colo- 

 nic- regular; consistency of colonic- slimy. 

 Bacteria-like entities measuring 3 to 1 M to 

 10 to 15 m by 0.8 fi, occurring as isolated 



element- or V- Or Y-shaped element-. ( '..in 

 pact colonic- in hanging-drop cultures. The 

 filaments have a tendency to dichotomous 



