TRICHOMYCETES 257 



Streptothrix putorii (Nocardia putorii).— Dick and Tunniclifif^ 

 have found this organism in a case of fever following the bite 

 of a weasel. Somewhat similar organisms have been found in 

 fever following rat bites.- The usual cause of rat bite fever is, 

 however, evidently a spirochete, Spirochata (morsus) muris. 



Streptothrices have also been found in abscesses''of the brain 

 and in chronic disease of the lung clinically resembling tuberculosis 

 in man. Many of them are Gram-positive and some are rela- 

 tively acid-proof when stained with carbol-fuchsin. Such acid- 

 proof forms are common in the feces of cattle where short 

 segments of them may be mistaken for tubercle bacilli. Organ- 

 isms of this type are very abundant in the soil, which is 

 doubtless their natural habitat. 



Cladothrix. — The cladothrix forms resemble the strepto- 

 thrices very closely but the cells of the threads do not branch. 

 The apparent branching of the threads is explained as due to a 

 transverse division of the thread with continuing growth of the 

 one free end which pushes out beyond the other, giving rise to 

 the appearance of branching or so-called ' false branching." 

 Organisms of this type have been described as occurring in ab- 

 scesses of the brain and in other parts of the body. The dis- 

 tinction from streptothrix has not always been clearly made. 



Leptothrix Buccalis. — This is a normal inhabitant of the mouth 

 cavity. It consists of slender filaments which do not branch. 

 The organism has been found in abundance in small white patches 

 on the tonsils, where it sometimes causes a very chronic but mild 

 inflammation. Artificial culture of the organism ordinarily 

 results in failure. Arustamoff^ appears to have obtained it on 

 a neutral or acid agar inoculated with leptothrix from urine. 



' Dick and Tunnicliff: Journ. Infectious Diseases, 1918, 23, p. 183. 

 2 Kolle and Wassermann: Handbuch, 1912, Bd. V, S. 290. 



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