THE GENUS NOCARDIA 



35 



Gelatin: Growth good. Positive liquefac- 

 tion. 



Milk: ( !oagula1 ion and peptonizal ion. 



Starch: Rapid hydrolysis. 



Cellulose: No growth. 



Paraffin: No growth. 



Nitrate reduction: Negative. 



Sucrose: I liveried. 



Source: Soil. 



Remarks: Several subspecies were also 

 listed: N. chromogena, X. pauhtropha (Ac- 

 tinobacillus paulotropkus Beijerinck, 1914), 

 N. alba lactica, N. diastatica, X. hoffmanni. 



4. Nocardia albicans (Krassilnikov, L941) 

 Waksman (Krassilnikov, X. A. Act inomyce- 

 tales. [zvest. Akad. Xauk, SSSR, Moskau, 

 L941). 



Morphology: Growth red, hyphae break- 

 ing up into rod-shaped cells, 12 to 25 by 0.6 

 to 0.7 m. "p to 50 ju in length. Cells straight 

 or slightly curved, branching. Aerial myce- 

 lium not observed, except surface layer of 

 sporophores, which produce a velvety ap- 

 pearance. Multiplication by fission, seldom 

 by budding. 



Xulrient agar: Growth good, smooth, 

 shiny. 



( relatin: No liquefaction. 



Milk: No change. 



Starch: Hydrolyzed. 



( lellulose: No growth. 



Nutrienl broth: Growth poor, produces 

 fainl turbidity, which settles on bottom and 

 leaves a surface ring. No true mycelium. 

 Cells rod-shaped 5 to 10 jtt, seldom 15 to 20 fi. 



Nitrate reduction: Negative. 



Sucrose: Inverted. 



Paraffin: Xot utilized. 



Source: Soil. 



Remarks: Glycerol used as a source of 

 carbon, and nitrate as a source of nitrogen. 



5. Nocardia alni (Peklo emend, v. Plotho, 

 1941) Waksman (von Plotho, 0. Arch. 

 Mikrobiol. 12: 1 IS, 1041 I. 



Morphology: Mycelium contain- fatty 



globules; cells filiform, branching, disinte- 

 grating into shorl rods and cocci. Aerial 

 mycelium usually absent , bu1 may be formed 

 on cultivation. Sporulating cultures form 

 white, spherical to oval spore-. 



Agar media: Substrate growth compact, 

 shiny, colorless or slightly brownish. 



Gelatin: Surface pellicle. Liquefaction 

 positive. Soluble pigment brownish. 



Liquid media: Slimy surface film. 



Tyrosine: Utilized as source of nitrogen; 

 color turns red-brown. 



Cellulose: Xot utilized. 



Carbon sources: Produces lactic acid from 

 glucose and lactose. 



Optimum reaction for growth: pll 6.0. 



Habitat: Roots of the alder. 



Remarks: Produces nodules on the roots 

 of the host plant. Said to bring about nitro- 

 gen fixation in symbiotic culture with the 

 plant. 



C). Nocardia asteroides (Eppinger, 1891) 

 Blanchard, 1895 emend. Cordon and Mihm, 

 L959 (Eppinger, H. L. Beitr. Pathol. Anat. 

 9: 287, 1891; Blanchard, P.. In Bouchard. 

 Traite Pathol. Gen. 2: 811, 1895; Cordon, 

 R. E. and Mihm, J. M. .1. Gen. Microbiol. 

 20: 129, 1959). 



Synonyms: Cladothrix asteroides Eppinger, 

 1890; Streptothrix eppingeri Rossi-Doria, 

 1891; Actinomyces asti roides < rasperini, L892; 

 Oospora asteroides Sauvageau and Radais, 

 L892; N. asteroides P. Blanchard, 1895. Ac- 

 cording to Ochoa and Sandoval (1956), N. 

 leishmanii Chalmers and Christopherson, 

 and A', phenotolerans Werkam and Gammel 

 are synonyms of A', asteroides. According to 

 Cordon and Mihm (1959), N. caprae (Silber- 

 schmidt) Waksman and Ilenrici. A', ep- 

 pingeri, X. minima, and X. sylvodorifera are 

 also synonyms. 



Morphology: Typical actinomycete 

 growth, usually yellow to orange to orange- 

 red. Mycelium -traight and line: it breaks up 

 into small, coccoid forms and rod-. Some 

 strains are acid-fasl : other- are only partially 



