212 



THE ACTINOMYCETES, Vol. II 



Figure 39. Sporophores of S. fradiae I Prepared 

 by H. Lechevalier of t he Institute of Microbiol- 

 ogy ) . 



Starch media: Growth spreading, colorless. 

 Aerial mycelium seashell-pink. Good dia- 

 static action. 



Milk: Cream-colored ring; coagulation 

 and rapid peptonization. 



Nitrate: Varied reduction. 



Cellulose: No growth in solution, fair 

 growth on plates. 



Production of H 2 S: Negative. 



Invertase: None. 



Antagonistic properties: Highly antag- 

 onistic. Produces an antibacterial agent, 

 neomycin, and an antifungal agent, fradicin. 



Habitat: Soil. 



Remarks: A number of strains of this 

 organism have been isolated from various 

 soils (see, for example, S. decaris described as 

 No. 3719, in Waksman et al., L958). Some 

 vary in their pigmentation, rate of gelatin 

 liquefaction, and antibiotic production; A. 

 longissimus Krassilnikov is one such typical 

 strain. Some strains are able to produce 

 antiviral substances, as in the case of luridin, 

 produced by a strain of S. fradiae designated 

 as .1. luridus by Krassilnikov et al. Gause 

 et al. (1957) described a spiral-producing 

 variety of S. fradiae under the name spiralis. 

 Several other such strains have been isolated 

 by Waksman and Lechevalier, (Jmezawa, 

 and many others. Kit linger et al. (1958) 

 claimed that S. rochei, S. filipinensis, S. 



coelicolor, S. flavogriseus, S. tyrosinaticus, S. 

 violaceus, and S. violaceoruber belong to this 

 group; this claim cannot be accepted on the 

 basis of evidence submitted in the descrip- 

 tions of these organisms. The characteristics 

 of the species are that it is nonchromogenic, 

 strongly proteolytic, and produces the 

 characteristic seashell-pink aerial mycelium 

 on various synthetic media; on organic 

 media, orange-colored growth is produced 

 without any aerial mycelium. 

 Type culture: IMRU 3535. 



89. Streptomyces fragilis Anderson et a/., 

 1956 (Anderson, L. H, Ehrlich, J., Sun, 

 S. H., and Burkholder, P. K. Antibiotics & 

 Chemotherapy 6: 100, L956). 



Morphology: Aerial hyphae simple or 

 branched, usually in small clusters; short, 

 straight, or slightly curved, with bent or 

 curved tips and occasional short spirals. 

 Spores spherical to ovoid, 0.8 to 1.5 by 1.0 

 to 2.0 m- 



Calcium malate agar: Growth sparse. 

 Aerial mycelium light brown. 



Glycerol-asparagine agar: Growth sparse, 

 colorless to light yellow. Aerial mycelium 

 lighl yellow-pink. 



Starch-ammonium sulfate agar: Growth 

 yellow to yellow-orange to orange-brown. 

 Aerial mycelium light yellow-pink to light 

 brown. 



Nutrient agar: Growth yellow to yellow- 

 orange to brown. Aerial mycelium white to 

 light yellow-pink. Melanin-negative. 



Glucose-tryptone agar: Growth yellow to 

 yellow-orange to brown. Aerial mycelium 

 light yellow-pink, occasionally pink to gray- 

 pink.' 



Gelatin: Liquefaction slow. No soluble 

 pigment. 



Litmus milk: Slow peptonization. 



Starch: Hydrolysis. 



Nitrate reduction : Positive. 



Carbon utilization: btilizes L-arabinose, 

 D-cellobiose, dextrin, D-galactose, glucose. 

 D-maltose, starch, trehalose, and D-xylose. 



