The Pale or Ochroid Variety 



787 



THE PALE OR OCHROID VARIETY 



Actinomyces Madura (Vincent) 



Synonyms. — Streptothrix madurae; Dyscomyces madurse. 



General Characteristics. A non-motile, non-flagellate, sporogenous (?), 

 non-liquefying, non-aerogenic, chromogenic, aerobic and optionally anaerobic, 

 branched, parasitic organism belonging to the higher bacteria, staining by ordi- 

 nary methods and by Gram's method, and pathogenic for man. 



Kanthack* was the first to show the presence of fungus threads 

 in microscopical sections of the tissues. He considered them to be 



^ig- 313- — Mycetoma. Dorsum of foot showing sinuses, some of which are 

 covered by hard brownish crusts (courtesy of Dr. John W. Perkins). 



a form of streptothrix, probably closely related to the well-known 



actinomyces. Vincentf also studied lesions of the ochroid variety of 



the disease and found a streptothrix. Later Vincent and G^rnyJ 



isolated this streptothrix from the lesions of a second case of the 



disease. Hewlett§ studied the same organism and found it like the 



* Trans. Path. Soc. London, 1892. 

 f'Ann. de I'Inst. Pasteur," 1894, viii, 30. 

 t Ann. de dermat. et syph., Paris," 1896, vil. 

 § Trans. Path. Soc, London, 1893. 



