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THK ACTINOMYCETES, Vol. II 



Aerial mycelium white. Soluble wine-red 

 pigment produced on sugar-containing salt 

 media. 



Sucrose nitrate agar: Very little growth. 



Glycerol-asparagine agar: Growth abun- 

 dant. Aerial mycelium formed, orange. 



Nutrient agar: Growth yellow. Aerial 

 mycelium limited. 



( ielatin: Some liquefaction. 



Potato: Growth limited. Aerial mycelium 

 limited. 



Starch: Rapidly hydrolyzed. 



Nitrate reduction: Positive. 



Milk: Coagulation rapid; peptonization 

 rapid. 



Temperature: Grows well at 50-60°C, 

 lesser growth at 40°C; no growth at 28 and 

 65°C. 



Habitat: Manure compost. 



4. Thermoactinomyces theimophilus (Be- 

 restnew, 1897) now comb. 



Morphology: Sporophores straight (No- 

 ark, Waksman et al.) or spiral-shaped 

 ( Krassilnikov). Spores spherical. 



Cultural properties: Substrate growth 

 yellow-brown. Soluble pigment brown. Aerial 

 mycelium white to dark gray. 



Synthetic agar: Growth colorless. Aerial 

 mycelium thin white. No soluble pigment . 



Potato: Growth yellowish. No aerial my- 

 celium. Soluble pigment brown. 



Gelatin: Liquefaction rapid. No pigmen- 

 tation. 



Milk: Coagulation and peptonization. 



Starch agar: Growth yellowish. Aerial 

 mycelium powdery, white-gray. Starch 

 rapidly hydrolyzed. 



Nitrate reduction: Rapid. 



Cellulose: Slight growth. 



Temperature: 35-55°C. Optimum 50°C. 



Remarks: Noack described, under this 

 name, organisms of a bright red color, with 

 a red soluble pigment. Optimum 40-59°C. 

 Miche and Schutze also described organisms 

 under this name Figure 62. Pseudonocardia thermophila (Repro- 



duced from: Henssen, A. Arch. Mikrobiol. 26: 



.">. Thermoactinomyces viridis Schuurmans 40 9 , 1957). 



et al., 1956 (Schuurmans, D. M., Olson, B. 

 H., and San Clemente, C. L. Appl. Micro- 

 biol. 4: 61-66, 1950). 



Morphology: Spores borne singly; oval 

 (about 1.0 by 1.3 n). Diameter of hyphae 

 approximately 0.5 n. 



Glucose-asparagine agar. No growth. 



Calcium malate agar: Colonies colorless, 

 1 to 2 mm in diameter; a few colonies with 

 blue-green aerial mycelium. 



Nutrient agar: ( Irowth wrinkled, colorless, 

 and close to agar surface. Aerial mycelium 

 blue-green. Soluble pigment emerald-green. 



Glucose-peptone agar: Colonies colorless, 

 1 to 2 mm in diameter. No aerial mycelium. 



Nutrient broth: Flocculent cream-colored 

 submerged growth; surface growth blue- 

 green. Soluble pigment green. 



Gelatin: Liquefied. 



Potato: No growth. 



Milk: Coagulation positive, followed by 

 peptonization. 



Nitrate reduction: Negative. 



Starch: Hydrolysis. 



Temperature: Minimum, 37°C; optimum, 

 55°C; maximum, 60°C. 



Antagonistic properties: Produces the 

 antibiotic thermoviridin, active primarily 

 against gram-positive bacteria. 



Habitat: Composted manure pile. 



Remarks: Description of growth and bio- 

 chemical reactions after 14 days' incubation 



