38 



THE ACTINOMYCETES, Vol. II 



Mihm, N. brasiliensis is distinguished from 

 N. asteroides by positive decomposition of 

 casein and tyrosine and by acid formation 

 from inositol and mannitol. Additional char- 

 acteristics of this species include the follow- 

 ing: xanthine not decomposed; acid pro- 

 duced from glucose and glycerol; no acid 

 from arabinose, lactose, maltose, xylose, and 

 other sugars; utilizes acetate, citrate, malate, 

 propionate, pyruvate, and succinate, but not 

 benzoate. 



According to Mariat (1958), A r . asteroides 

 is characterized by a lack of proteolytic ac- 

 tivity; utilization of urea, (NH 4 ) L >S04 and 

 KNOs as sources of nitrogen, not of nitrite. 

 Glucose, fructose, glycerol, and mannitol are 

 utilized as sources of carbon, but not galac- 

 tose, xylose, maltose, and starch, although 

 paraffin is utilized. 



N. brasiliensis is characterized by gelatin 

 hydrolysis; utilization of urea, (NH 4 )2S0 4 

 and KNO3 as nitrogen sources; utilization 

 of glycerol, glucose, fructose, galactose, man- 

 nitol, xylose, and paraffin as carbon sources. 



Type culture: IMRU 850. 



10. Nocardia calcarea Metcalfe and 

 Brown, 1957 (Metcalfe, G. and Brown, M. 

 E. J. Gen. Microbiol. 17: 568-569, 1957). 



Morphology: Gram-positive and partially 

 acid-fast. Mainly short rods (1.5 to 2.0 by 

 1.0 n) together with unbranched aseptate 

 filaments up to 10 m in length and occasional 

 branched filaments. Some filaments show 

 lemon-shaped swellings. After 4 days, short 

 rods show snapping division typical of 

 corynebacteria; abundant unbranched fila- 

 ments (5.0 to 8.0 by 1.0 m) and a few branched 

 filaments and cocci (1.0 /x) also present. 

 Many rods show differentiation of a swollen 

 spore-like strucl lire; these are usually formed 

 terminally or subterminally, one per rod. In 

 the filaments they are often formed in chains. 

 Colonies after 14 days consist of short rods, 

 cocci and rods with swollen cells. 



Agar media: Colonies circular, raised, soft, 

 without aerial mycelium; pink or cream 

 colored with distinct pink tinge when small. 



Sucrose agar: Filaments are rare and short 

 rods and cocci are the predominant forms 

 throughout. Occasional lemon-shaped cells 

 are formed on all media. 



Glucose and mannitol agars: Very long 

 branched filaments (10 to 25 m) present after 

 2 days, often with terminal chains of swollen 

 hyaline cells; these filaments usually frag- 

 ment, but a few persist. 



Yeast extract-peptone agar: Cycle shorter 

 than on previous media, most of the fila- 

 ments having fragmented into rods and cocci 

 after 3 days. 



Starch agar: Growth slight; no hydrolysis. 



Milk: Heavy growth, turned alkaline; no 

 peptonization. 



Gelatin: Beaded growth at top of stab. 

 Xo liquefaction. 



Nitrate reduction: Positive. 



Carbon utilization: Utilizes glucose, su- 

 crose, and maltose; poor growth with lactose. 



Paraffin: Growth heavy in basal salts me- 

 dium with ammonium salt and flakes of 

 paraffin wax. 



11. Nocardia caprae (Silberschmidt, IS!)'.)) 

 Waksman and Henrici, 1948 (Silberschmidt, 

 W. Ann. inst. Pasteur 13: 841-853, 1899). 



Synonyms: This organism has been var- 

 iously described as S. caprae (Price-Jones, 

 1901). 0. caprae (Sartory, 1923), .4. caprae 

 (Xannizzi, 1934). 



Morphology : Substrate growth forms thin, 

 branching filaments, breaking up into rods. 

 Aerial mycelium abundant on all media with 

 tendency to form coherent spikes; mycelium 

 not very polymorphous, but occasional 

 thicker segments appeal'. Slightly acid-fast. 

 Brownish soluble substance. 



Glucose -peptone -beef extract agar: 

 Growth irregular, bright pink, tending to be 

 heaped up. Later abundant masses, frosted 

 over with thin, white aerial mycelium. 



Blood agar: Colonies minute, round, color- 

 less, aggregated in broad pink zones. Aerial 

 mycelium pale. Xo hemolysis. 



Egg medium: Colonies few, colorless, some 

 Dink: aerial mycelium white. Pater, growth 



