THE GENUS NOCARDIA 



55 



minima, and others. According to Schneidau 

 and Shaffer (1957), this form docs no1 pro- 

 duce urease, whereas N. corallina does. 



17. Nocardia rubropertincta (Hefferan, 

 L904) Waksman and Henrici, L948 (Grass- 

 berger, R. Munch, med. Wochschr. 1(>: 343, 

 L899; Hefferan, M. Centr. Bakteriol. Parasi- 

 tenk. Abt. II, 11: 460, L904). 



Morphology: Growth in form of small rods 

 0.3 to 0.9 by L.5 to 3.0 m, showing angular 

 arrangement; later, nearly coccoid, 0.6 by 

 0.8 p. Tendency for branching on glycerol 

 agar, bul branching does not occur com- 

 monly, though granules of aerial mycelium 

 are sometimes seen. No1 acid-fast or varia- 

 ble. 



Xntrient agar: Colonies small, granular, 

 becoming pink to red, depending on com- 

 position of agar. 



Potato: Growth slow but excellent, inten- 

 sive red, becoming dull orange. 



Gelatin: Colonies irregular with crenate 

 margin and folded surface, coral-red. ( rrowth 

 in stab at firsl thin, then granular to arbores- 

 cenl with chromogenesis. No liquefaction. 



Milk: Surface scales thick, fragile, dull 

 coral-red; also sediment. Milk becomes 

 somewhat viscid after .'1 to 1 weeks. 



Nutrient broth: Faini uniform turbidity 

 with salmon-pink pellicle, which is renewed 

 on surface as it settles to form a red sedi- 

 ment . 



Xit rate reduction: None. 



Carbon sources: Utilizes benzene, petro- 

 leum, paraffin oil, and paraffin. 



Temperature: Grows well between 20 and 

 37°C. 



Oxygen requirement: Aerobic to faculta- 

 tively anaerobic. 



Source: Isolated from butter, soil, and 

 contaminants of t uberculin flasks. 



Remarks: MycobacU ///////dike colonies 

 with coral to vermillioii-red chromogenesis 

 on various media. 



L959 (DiMarco, A. and Spalla, C. Lab. 

 Ricerche Farmitalia, Milano, L959). 



Morphology: Hyphae short, 0.6 to 0.8 /x 

 in diameter, wavy, later angular, radiating 

 from a center. After 20 to 24 hours, they 

 break up into rods 8 to 20 n long. No 

 aerial mycelium. Nonacid-fast. 



Glucose-asparagine agar: Growth color- 

 less, raised, moist , wrinkled. 



Glycerol agar: Abundant, lichenoid 

 growth, dull cream. No consistency. Red- 

 dish-brown soluble pigmenl after L5 days. 



Nutrient agar: Thick, cream-colored pel- 

 licle, rough and folded. Dough-like con- 

 sistency. After 15 days, brown soluble pig- 

 menl . 



Potato agar: ( rrowth smooth, folded, with 

 wrinkled and lichenoid portions. Colorless. 

 Soft consistency. 



Milk: Coagulation; no peptonization. 



Gelatin: Liquefaction positive. 



Nitrate reduction: Negal ive. 



Starch: Nondiastat ic. 



Sugar utilization: See Table 1. 



Optimum temperature: 34 ( '. 



Remarks: Nonpathogenic. Produces vita- 

 min B12 . 



Habitat : Cattle rumen. 



Type culture: [MRU 3760. 



This species was described further by 

 Spalla ( l ( .).~) ( .)i as follows: It produces a color- 

 less growth on glycerol, glucose, asparagine, 

 and N-Z-amine agars. Acid is produced from 

 glucose, galactose, ribose, rhamnose, l- 

 arabinose, glycerol, d-mannitol, and adoni- 

 tol; but not from d-mannose, sucrose, malt- 

 ose, lactose, trehalose, raffinose, inulin, 

 //-sorbitol, inositol, dulcitol, or salicin. Ni- 

 trate is not reduced. Starch is not hydro- 

 lyzed. Gelatin is liquefied. Milk is coagu- 

 lated. The organism will resisl a temperature 

 of 60°C for M 2 hours, but not 3 hours. It is 

 gram-positive. The terminal fragments are 

 1.56 ± 0.266 (i. No aerial mycelium is pro- 

 duced. 



is. Nocardia rugosa DiMarco and Spalla, 49. Nocardia salmonicolor (den Dooren de 



