774 



ORDER V. ACTINOMYCETALES 



Starch agar: Abundant growth. Aerial 

 mycelium white, becoming gray. 



Glucose agar: Aerial mj^celium gray. 

 Soluble deep brown pigment. 



Broth: Abundant, white surface pellicle. 

 Soluble deep brown pigment. 



Milk: Patchy, white surface growth. 

 Aerial mycelium gray. Gradual hydrolysis. 



Potato: Wrinkled, raised, pale ocherous 

 buff growth. Soluble pigment brown to 

 black. 



Starch is weakly hydrolyzed. 



Antagonistic properties: Strongly antago- 

 nistic. Produces streptomycin. 



Source: Isolated from soil from Bikini 

 atoll. 



Habitat: Soil. 



47. Streptoniyces niirabilis Rusch- 

 mann, 1952. (Die Pharmazie, 7, 1952, 542.) 



mi.ra'bi.lis. L. adj. mirahilis miracu- 

 lous, extraordinary. 



Aerial mycelium: White fluff}- layer con- 

 sisting of abundant aerial mycelium and 

 spores. Hyphae straight, without spirals or 

 curvature; sporulation takes place after 6 

 to 7 days. 



Gelatin: Good, flaky growth. Liquefac- 

 tion rapid. Soluble dark brown to black pig- 

 ment. 



Agar: Poor growth with slimy surface, 

 resembling that of bacteria. No sporulation. 



Glucose agar: Grayish brown, slimy 

 growth. No aerial mycelium even after 14 

 days. Soluble brown pigment. 



Carrot juice agar: Good growth in form 

 of round colonies covered with white aerial 

 mj^celium. Each colony produces 3 to 5 

 cracks or holes in center. 



Czapek's solution: Limited growth in the 

 form of a few surface colonies, sinking rap- 

 idly to the bottom. 



Milk: Surface growth with white, fluffy 

 aerial mycelium. Milk coagulated and pep- 

 tonized. Liquefied portion colored black. 

 Reaction of medium unchanged. 



Potato: Good, lichenoid growth. Soluble 

 dark brown to black pigment. 



Fats are readily utilized. 



Oxygen requirement: Quite considerable. 



Optimum temperature, 29° C. No growth 

 at 37° C. 



Antagonistic properties: Produces mira- 

 mycin. Antagonistic effect strongest in 

 freshly isolated cultures. Property lost on 

 cultivation; activity upon Gram-positive 

 bacteria is lost first, then upon Gram-nega- 

 tive rods; cocci remain most sensitive. 



Distinctive characters: Highly proteo- 

 lytic and lipolytic. Grows best on complex 

 organic media. Grows best at slightly acid 

 reaction or pH 6.0 to 6.6. 



Source: Presumably isolated from soil. 



Habitat: Soil. 



48. Streptoniyces antibioticus (Waks- 

 man and Woodruff, 1941) Waksman and 

 Henrici, 1948. {Actinomyces antibioticus 

 Waksman and Woodruff, Jour. Bact., 4^, 

 1941, 232 and 246; Waksman and Henrici, 

 in Manual, 6th ed., 1948, 942.) 



an.ti.bi.o'ti.cus. Gr. pref. anti against; 

 Gr. noun bins life; M.L. adj. antibioticus 

 against life, antibiotic. 



Aerial mj'celium: Spore-bearing hyphae 

 produced in the form of straight aerial 

 hyphae. The conidiophores are arranged in 

 clusters; no spirals formed. The conidia are 

 nearly spherical to somewhat ellipsoidal. 



Gelatin: Dark brown growth on surface 

 with patches of gray aerial mycelium. Dark 

 pigment produced which gradually diffuses 

 into the unliquefied part of the gelatin. 

 Liquefaction at first very slow, later be- 

 coming rapid. 



Agar: Production of dark pigment at 

 early stage of growth is very characteristic. 

 Growth brownish, thin, with a yellowish 

 gray to yellowish green aerial mycelium. 



Synthetic agar: Thin, whitish growth. 

 Thin, gray aerial mycelium. 



Litmus milk: Thick, brownish ring on 

 surface of milk. Mouse-gray aerial mycelium 

 with greenish tinge; growth becomes brown, 

 especially in drier portions adhering to 

 glass. No reaction change, no coagulation 

 of milk, no clearing; whitish sediment at 

 bottom of tube. Old cultures: heavy growth 

 ring on surface of milk, heavy precipitation 

 on bottom; liquid brownish to black in 

 upper portion. 



Potato plug: Folded, brown-colored 

 growth with a thin black ring on plug, fad- 

 ing into a bluish tinge. No aerial mycelium. 



