44 



THE ACTLXOMYCETES, Vol. II 



23. Nocardia formica Harris and Wood- 

 ruff, 195.3 (Harris, D. A. and Woodruff, H. 

 B. Antibiotics Ann. 1953-1954, 609-614). 



Morphology: Mycelial development ex- 

 tensive, with no fragmentation of hyphae. 

 Ghost filaments and cytoplasmic condensa- 

 tions produced. In submerged culture, 

 straight and curved rods develop, exhibiting 

 the Y- and V-forms. Rods are 0.9 to 1.1 by 

 1 .3 to 6.0 n. Not acid-fast. 



Sucrose nitrate agar: Growth very faint 

 or none at all. 



Glucose-asparagine agar: Growth fair. 

 Aerial mycelium grayish-white. Sporulation 

 poor. 



Nutrient agar: Growth fair. Aerial myce- 

 lium none. 



Peptone-glucose agar: Growth tannish- 

 colored. Aerial mycelium white to grayish, 

 gradually covering surface. Reverse side 

 dark brown. Soluble pigment brown. 



Egg medium: Growth excellent, buff-col- 

 ored, convoluted, moist. No liquefaction. 

 Medium not discolored. 



Starch agar: Starch hydrolyzed. 



Gelatin: Liquefaction rapid. Soluble pig- 

 ment none. Growth settled on bottom of the 

 tube. 



Potato: Very poor growth. 



Nitrate reduction: Positive. 



Casein: Hydrolyzed. 



Paraffin: Not utilized. 



Optimum temperature: 28°C; good growth 

 at 37°C. 



Carbon utilization: No acid production in 

 organic media from glucose, glycerol, lac- 

 tose, maltose, and sucrose; acid produced in 

 inorganic media from glucose, glycerol, 

 lactose, maltose, but not from sucrose. 



Antagonistic properties: Produces an anti- 

 biotic substance active against Trichomonas 

 and swine influenza virus. 



Source: Isolated from an abandoned nest 

 of African ants in an imported mahogany 

 log. 



24. Nocardia fructifera (Krassilnikov, 



1941) Waksman (Krassilnikov, N. A. Ac- 

 tinomycetales. Izvest. Akad. Nauk. SSSR, 

 Moskau, 1941). 



Morphology: Growth not compact, mostly 

 of dough-like consistency, smooth or rough. 

 Hyphae breaking up into rods and in some 

 cultures into cocci. Not acid-fast. Aerial 

 mycelium well developed, whitish to rose- 

 colored. Sporophores long, straight or weakly 

 wavy, but not spiral-shaped. Spores cylin- 

 drical, 1.5 by 0.7 id. 



Synthetic agar: Growth rose-colored to 

 bright red. No soluble pigment. 



Nutrient agar: Aerial mycelium weakly 

 developed or absent entirely. 



Gelatin: Liquefaction slow. 



Milk: Coagulation positive; peptoniza- 

 tion weak. 



Sucrose: Inverted. 



Starch: Hydrolysis weak. 



Cellulose: Poor growth. 



Paraffin: No growth. 



Fats: Good growth. 



Source: Soil. 



Remarks: One strain was obtained as a 

 mutant of another Nocardia; another strain 

 was changed, after 8 months of cultivation, 

 into a typical Streptomyces. This species is 

 considered as a transition form between the 

 two genera. 



25. Nocardia gibsonii (Erikson, 1935) 

 Waksman (Erikson, D. Med. Research Coun- 

 cil Spec. Pept. Ser. 203: 36, 1935). 



Morphology: Young growing mycelium 

 branches profusely at short intervals, finally 

 grows out into long, frequently wavy fila- 

 ments. Property of producing aerial myce- 

 lium apparently lost. 



Nutrient agar: Colonies small, cream-col- 

 ored, depressed, partly confluent, growing 

 into an extensive wrinkled surface layer. 



Glucose nutrient agar: Growth cream- 

 colored, wrinkled, membranous. 



Potato agar: Growth wrinkled, glistening, 

 membranous. 



Blood agar: Colonies small, discrete, yel- 



