FAMILY ACTINOMYCETACEAE 



897 



Nitrites produced from nitrates. 



No soluble pigment formed. 



Proteolytic action doubtful. 



Starch not hydrolyzed. 



Transmissible to rabbits and guinea 

 pigs but not to mice. 



Aerobic. 



Optimum temperature 37°C. 



Source : From a cerebral abscess in man . 



Habitat : Also found in conditions re- 

 sembling pulmonary tuberculosis. 



A number of strains of acid-fast ac- 

 tinomycetes isolated from human lesions 

 have deviated in certain particulars from 

 the description of Nocardia asteroides, 

 but not sufficiently to warrant separation 

 as species. The following varieties are 

 described by Baldacci (Mycopathologia, 

 1, 1938, 68): 



Nocardia asteroides var. crateriformis 

 (Baldacci) comb. nov. (.Proactinomyces 

 asteroides var. crateriformis Baldacci, 

 loc. cit.) Less tendency to fragmentation 

 of mycelium. Complete lack of aerial 

 mycelium. Growing as discrete colonies, 

 disk- or crater-shaped. 



Nocardia asteroides var. decolor 

 (Baldacci) comb. nov. (Proactinomyces 

 asteroides var. decolor Baldacci, loc. cit.) 

 Greater tendency to produce white 

 aerial mycelium; vegetative mycelium 

 colorless . 



Nocardia asteroides var. gypsoides 

 (Baldacci) comb. nov. {Actinomyces 

 gypsoides Henrici and Gardner, Jour. Inf. 

 Dis., 28, 1921, 248; Discomyces gypsoides 

 Brumpt, Precis de Parasitol., Paris. 

 3rd ed., 1922, 980; Oospora gypsoides 

 Sartory, Champ. Paras. Homme et 

 Anim., 1923, 802; Proactinoinyces as- 

 teroides var. gypsoides Baldacci, loc. 

 cit.) White aerial mycelium; darkening 

 of peptone media. 



3. Nocardia polychromogenes (Vallee) 

 comb. nov. {Streptothrix polychromogenes 

 Vallee, Ann. Inst. Past., 17, 1903, 288; 

 Streptothrix pluricromogena Caminiti, 

 Cent. f. Bakt., I Abt., Orig., U, 1907, 

 198; Actinomyces polychromogenes Lieske, 



Morphol. u. Biol. d. Strahlenpilze, 

 Leipzig, 1921, 32; Proactinomyces poly- 

 chromogenes Jensen, Proc. Linnean Soc. 

 New So. Wales, 56, 1931, 79 and 363; 

 Oospora polychromogenes Sartorj-^, quoted 

 from Nannizzi, in Pollacci, Tratt. 

 Micopat. Umana, 4, 1934, 51; Acti- 

 nomyces plurichromogenus Dodge, Medi- 

 cal Mycology, St. Louis, 1935, 737.) 

 From Greek, producing many coloi's. 



Description from Jensen (loc. cit.). 



Long wavy filaments : 0.4 to 0.5 by 70 

 to 100 microns, extensively branched but 

 without septa. Older cultures consist 

 entirely of rods 4 to 10 microns, fre- 

 quently in V, Y, or smaller forms. Still 

 older cultures consist of shorter rods and 

 coccoid forms. Gram-positive, fre- 

 quently showing bands and granules. 



Gelatin stab : Thin yellowish growth 

 along the stab with thin radiating fila- 

 ments. Surface growth flat, wrinkled, 

 red. No liquefaction. 



Nutrient agar: Scant, orange-red 

 growth. 



Glucose agar: After 3 to 4 days raised, 

 flat, glistening, rose -colored growth. 

 After 1 to 3 weeks becoming folded and 

 coral -red. 



Glucose broth : After 3 to 4 days tur- 

 bid; after 2 to 3 weeks an orange flaky 

 sediment. No surface growth. 



Milk : Growth starts as small orange- 

 colored surface granules. After 1 to 2 

 weeks a thick, soft, orange -colored sedi- 

 ment forms. 



Optimum temperature 22° to 25°C. 



Distinctive characters : Differs from 

 Nocardia corallina in the formation of 

 very long filaments and in filiform growth 

 in gelatin stabs. 



Source: From the blood of a horse; 

 from soil in France and Australia. 



Habitat: Soil. 



4. Nocardia opaca (den Dooren de 

 Jong) comb. nov. {Mycobacterium opacum 

 den Dooren de Jong, Cent. f. Bakt., II 

 Abt., 71, 1927, 216; Mycobacterium crys- 

 tallophagum Gray and Thornton, Cent. 



