718 



ORDER V. ACTINOMYCETALES 



1. Growth on agar lemon-yellow. 



2. Growth on agar orange-yellow. 



44. Nocardia marina. 



45. Nocardia atlantica. 



1. Nocardia farcinica Trevisan, 1889. 

 (Bacille du farcin, Nocard, Ann. Inst. 

 Past., 3, 1888, 293; Trevisan, I generi e le 

 specie delle Batteriacee, Milan, 1889, 9.) 



far.ci'ni.ca. L. v. farcio to stuff; L. noun 

 farciminum a disease of horses; Fr. farcin 

 farcy or glanders; M.L. adj. farcinicus re- 

 lating to farcy. 



This description is based on a study of a 

 culture believed to be Prof. Nocard's origi- 

 nal culture (American Type Culture Collec- 

 tion No. 3318). This culture agrees in its 

 characteristics with those of a second cul- 

 ture isolated and identified by Dr. C. P. 

 Fitch at the New York State Veterinary 

 College, Ithaca, New York (ATCC No. 

 3399). 



Branched filaments, 0.25 micron in di- 

 ameter. Markedly acid-fast. 



Gelatin colonies: Small, circular, trans- 

 parent, glistening. 



Gelatin stab: No liquefaction. 



Agar colonies: Yellowish white, irregular, 

 refractive, filamentous. 



Agar slant: Grayish to yellowish white 

 growth, surface roughened. 



Broth: Clear; granular sediment, often 

 with gray pellicle. 



Litmus milk: Unchanged. 



Potato: Abundant, dull, crumpled, whit- 

 ish yellow growth. 



No soluble pigment formed. 



Proteolytic action absent. 



Starch not hydrolyzed. 



Aerobic, facultatively anaerobic. 



Nitrites not produced from nitrates. 



Optimum temperature, 37° C. 



Source: Isolated from cases of bovine 

 farcy. 



Habitat: Associated with a disease in 

 cattle resembling chronic tuberculosis. 

 Transmissible to guinea pigs, cattle and 

 sheep but not to rabbits, dogs, horses or 

 monkeys. 



2. Nocardia asteroides (Eppinger, 1891) 

 Blanchard, 1895. (Cladothrix asteroides Ep- 



pinger, Beitr. z. path. Anat., 9, 1891, 287; 

 Blanchard, in Bouchard, Traite Path. Gen., 

 3, 1895, 811.) 



as.ter.o.i'des. Gr. adj. asteroides star- 

 like. 



Straight, fine mycelium, 0.2 micron in 

 diameter, which breaks up into small, 

 coccoid conidia. Acid-fast. 



Gelatin stab: Yellowish surface growth. 

 No growth in stab. No liquefaction. 



Synthetic agar: Thin, spreading, orange 

 growth. No aerial mycelium. 



Starch agar: Restricted, scant, orange 

 growth. 



Plain agar: Much folded, light yellow 

 growth, becoming deej) yellow to yellow- 

 ish red. 



Glucose broth: Thin, yellowish pellicle. 



Litmus milk: Orange-colored ring. No 

 coagulation. No peptonization. 



Potato: Growth much wrinkled, whitish 

 becoming yellow to almost brick-red. 



No soluble pigment formed. 



Proteolytic action doubtful. 



Starch not hydrolj^zed. 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



Aerobic. 



Optimum temperature, 37° C. 



Transmissible to rabbits and guinea pigs 

 but not to mice. 



Comment: A number of strains of acid- 

 fast actinomycetes isolated from human 

 lesions have deviated in certain particulars 

 from the description of Nocardia asteroides, 

 but not sufficiently to warrant separation as 

 species. Baldacci, e.g., recognizes and 

 names three varieties of this species (Myco- 

 pathologia, 1, 1938, 68). 



Source: Isolated from a cerebral abscess 

 in man. 



Habitat: Also found in conditions re- 

 sembling pulmonary tuberculosis. 



3. Nocardia polychroiiiogenes (Vallee, 

 1903) Waksman and Henrici, 1948. (Strepto- 

 thrix polychromogenes Vallee, Ann. Inst. 

 Past., 17, 1903, 288; Proactinomyces poly- 



