C h a p 1 e r I 3 



Incompletely Described Species 

 of Actinomycetes 



Numerous isolates 

 mycetes listed in i 

 variety of differem 



names, could not b 

 due to insufficient 

 reported here as "ii 

 The naming of such < 



of cultures of actino- 

 le literature, under a 

 generic and specific 

 ■ identified at present, 

 lescriptions. They are 

 completely described." 

 ultures was based either 

 on a casual observation or on the assumed 

 occurrence of such an organism in a certain 

 disease condition. Frequently the particular 

 organism was not even obtained in pure 

 culture, but was given a name, often for 

 the mere purpose of obtaining for the author 

 credit for the particular isolation or observa- 

 tion. In other cases, it is fairly certain that 

 the culture said to have been isolated from 

 a disease condition was nothing more than a 

 dusl contamination. 



In the preparation of this list, the author 

 has used freely the carefully collected records 

 of Brumpt (1939), Dodge (1935), Baldacci 

 (1944), and Krassilnikov (1949). Very few 

 of these descriptions were complete enough 

 de the recorded cultures among the 

 identifiable species. This is partic- 

 ruo, even in recent years 



win 



) posit 



to mc 

 readih 



ularly 



tnedia of unknown con 



for descriptive purposes. 



Xot all the synonyms are recorded here. 

 For further detail, the reader is referred to 

 the reviews of Chalmers and Christ opherson 

 ( 1!)1(»), and Dodge ( L935),* especially for the 



*Some of these compilations may be designated, 

 quite properly, in the words of Erikson l 1940), as 



pathogenic or largely would-be pathogenic 

 organisms, and to Brumpt (1939) and 

 Krassilnikov (194!)) for the nonpathogenic 

 forms. Only those synonyms that would 

 tend to throw light upon the systematic 

 position of the culture are listed here. 



Since the name "Actinomyces" has been 

 largely used for the incompletely described 

 cultures, it is left as such, and the list is 

 recorded in the order of species. Where the 

 name Nocardia was originally used, it is 

 either reported as a synonym of "Actino- 

 myces," or under Nocardia. The same prin- 

 ciple was applied to Micromonospora and 

 other well-recognized genera. 



Xo serious attempt was made to record 

 all the other listings of cultures believed to 

 be actinomycetes, especially those that have 

 been insufficiently described under a variety 

 of different names, such as Cladothrix, 

 Discomijccs, etc. Most of these names appear 

 to be synonyms of those listed above. ( >nly a 

 few of the names listed under Streptothrix 

 and Oospora are included under the "Ac- 

 tinomyces." Xo effort was made to list cul- 

 tures for which only a generic name was 

 given without any specific designation, or 

 which were recorded by a number only. 



A large number of species have recently 

 been listed under the genus Streptomyces 

 without any description at all or with a 

 totally insufficient description. Frequently 



"veritable mausoleums wherein the errors of the 

 past .-tre indiscriminately embalmed." 



815 



