1040 



FUNGI IMPERFECTI 



ORDER I. MICROSIPHONALES VuiUemin, 1912. 



Definition. — Hyphales with the mycelium composed of fine bacilli- 

 form hyphae, usually I micron or less in diameter. Usually Gram- 

 positive, when young, and without distinct nuclei. Parasitic on 

 man, animals, and plants, or saprophytic. 



Remarks.— This is a most interesting order, as its members 

 -(Fig. 545) are nearly always mistaken at first sight, by persons 

 unaccustomed to them, for bacilh (Fig. 548). Hence the descrip- 

 tions of bacilli as the cause of so many fungal diseases due to 

 these organisms, among which could be classified the diphtheria 

 organisms, the tubercular and leprotic bacilH. 



Thus one form of division into families is as follows : — 



A. Nocardiaceae Castellani and Chalmers, 1918. Synonyms.— 



ActinoMycetes Lachner-Sandoval, 1898; Trichomycetes 



Petrusky, 1903. 

 Definition. — Microsiphonales with a mycelium. 

 Type Genus— Nocardia Toni and Trevisan, 1889. 



B. Mycobacteriacese Miehe, 1909. Definition.— Microsiphon- 



ales without a mycelium. 

 Genus i.- — Mycobacterium Lehmann and Neumann, 

 with the diphtheria bacillus as a type. 

 - Genus 2. — Cory neb acterium Lehmann and Neumann, 

 with the tubercle bacillus as a type. 



We have, however, placed the Mycobacteriacece under the Schizo- 

 mycetes, and therefore have only the NocardiacecB to consider. 



FAMILY NOCARDIACEiE. 



Synonyms. — Actinomycetes Lachner-Sandoval, 1898; Trichomy- 

 cetes Petrusky, 1903. 



Definition. — Microsiphonales with a mycelium. 



Type GenVLS.—Nocardia Toni and Trevisan, 1889. 



Classification.— Until quite recently all the species of this order 

 were considered to belong to one genus— Nocardia Toni and 

 Trevisan, 1889; but Pinoy has made an excellent subdivision, 

 separating certain species into another genus, which he calls Cohni- 

 streptothrix Pinoy, 1911. In doing this, he points out that the 

 original discoverers of actinomycosis — ^viz., Harz and Bollinger in 

 1877 and Rivolta in 1878 — ^thought that they were deahng with one 

 organism, but when cultures were attempted it became apparent 

 that more than one organism was implicated. Thus Bostrom iso- 

 lated a parasite which grew well aerobically, producing a dry mem- 

 brane on the surface of broth and capable of growth at 20° C. on 

 gelatine, but growing better on potato at 37° C. and forming chains 

 of arthrospores. Inoculation into animals was, however, negative. 

 This form is commonly called Nocardia bovis (Harz, 1877). 



Wolf and Israel, on the other hand, obtained a parasite which only 



