700 



ORDER V. ACTINOMYCETALES 



Slender rods, 0.5 by 4 to 7 microns, fre- 

 quently slightly curved, beaded and barred 

 forms often occur. Non-motile. Acid-fast in 

 cultures of 4 days or older, in younger cul- 

 tures some organisms are not acid-fast. Not 

 alcohol-fast. Gram-positive. 



Gelatin stab: Growth occurs along the 

 line of inoculation. No liquefaction. 



Agar colonies: 0.5 to 1 mm in diameter, 

 irregular, raised, moist and glistening. 



Glycerol agar: Spreading, raised, dry, 

 pale pink to buff growth. 



Glycerol broth : A thin pellicle appears in 

 5 to 6 days, gradually becomes thicker and 

 falls as a sediment. 



Dorset's egg medium: Raised, moist, 

 pinkish growth after 10 days, later becom- 

 ing salmon-colored. 



Loeffler's serum: Small, raised, convex, 

 dry growth. 



Litmus milk: Alkaline. 



Glycerol potato: Raised, hemispherical, 

 dry and granular growth. 



Indole not produced. 



Fructose, mannitol and trehalose are 

 utilized; arabinose, sucrose, galactose and 

 sorbitol not utilized (Gordon, Jour. Bact., 

 54, 1937, 617). 



Nitrates reduced by 1 strain but not by 2 

 strains tested (Aronson). Nitrates slightly 

 reduced (Gordon). Nitrates not reduced 

 (Bynoe). 



Temperature relations: Fails to survive 

 60° C. for 1 hour, fails to grow at 45° C. 

 (Gordon) ; good growth at 25° C., no growth 

 at 37° C. (Aronson); optimum for growth, 

 25° C., range, 10° to 35° C. (Bynoe). 



Range of pH, 6.6 to 7.8 (Aronson); opti- 

 mum, between 7.3 and 8.0, range 5.0 to 11.0 

 (Bynoe). 



Pathogenicity: Experimentally produces 

 generalized tuberculosis in snakes, frogs, 

 lizards and fish but not pathogenic for 

 guinea pigs, rabbits or fowls. 



Variation: According to Bynoe and 

 Wyckoff (Amer. Rev. Tub., 29, 1934, 389), 

 S and R forms may be distinguished by 

 colony structure and individual cell ar- 

 rangement. 



Source: Isolated from the lungs and livers 

 of garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis). 



Habitat: Present as a parasite in the 



garter snake and possibly other cold- 

 blooded vertebrates. 



6. Mycobacterium platypoecilus Baker 



and Hagan, 1942. (Jour. Inf. Dis., 70, 1942, 

 248.) 



pla.ty.poe'ci.lus. M.L. mas.n. Platy- 

 poecilus a genus of platyfishes. 



Rods resembling those of the tubercle 

 bacillus; not usually pleomorphic. Strongly 

 acid-fast. 



Glycerol egg medium: Primary growth on 

 this medium only after 3 weeks of incuba- 

 tion at 25° C. Smooth, moist colonies be- 

 coming dry, wrinkled, grayish white and 

 waxy with age. Cultures grown in the 

 presence of light are deep orange in color. 



Glycerol phosphate agar: Growth of sub- 

 cultures slow. Appearance same as on 

 glycerol egg medium. 



Sohngen's medium: No growth. 



Temperature relations: Optimum, 25° C. 

 No growth at 37° C. 



Source: Isolated from the organs of a 

 small, tropical platyfish, Platypoecilus ma- 

 culatus. 



Habitat: Found in skin ulcers, liver, 

 spleen, gills and kidneys of diseased platy- 

 fish. 



7. Mycobacterium ulcerans MacCal- 

 lum, 1950. (A new mycobacterial infection 

 of man, MacCallum, Tolhurst, Buckle and 

 Sissons, Jour. Path, and Bact., 60, 1948, 93; 

 MacCallum, in Fenner, Med. Jour. Austral., 

 2, 1950, 817; also see Fenner and Leach, 

 Austral. Jour. Exp. Biol, and Med. Sci., 30, 

 1952, 1; and Fenner, ibid., 11.) 



ul'ce.rans. L. part. adj. ulcerans making 

 sore, causing to ulcerate. 



Description taken from MacCallum et 

 al. {op. cit., 1948, 93). 



Rods, 0.2 by 1.5 to 3.0 microns from cul- 

 tures, somewhat longer from tissues. Acid- 

 fast and acid-alcohol-fast, frequently 

 beaded. 



Egg yolk agar colonies: Primary cultures 

 after 9 weeks are 2 to 3 mm in diameter, 

 round, smooth, low convex, opaque white to 

 pale cream-colored. Subcultures appear in 

 2 to 3 weeks, the colonies similar to those of 

 the primary culture. 



