FUNGI IMPERFECTI 



Cultures. — ^The fungus grows easily on agar, glycerinated agar, 

 gelatine, broth, potato, and other media. Optimum temperature, 

 35° to 37° C. On glycerinated agar the fungus grows fairly rapidly, 

 giving rise to small, dry, coarsely granular, brown-yellowish 

 colonies, which latter coalesce together. The fungus is Gram- 

 positive, but not acid-fast. 



Saprophytic Life.- — The fungus is found saprophytic on the 

 spikelets of some cereals [Phleum pratense Linnaeus, Hordeum 

 miurnuM Linnaeus, etc.). 



Pathogenicity. — The experimental reproduction of the disease by 

 inoculating pure cultures has not so far succeeded. Wright there- 

 fore goes so far as to say that Actinomyces bovis is a contamination. 



Varieties.— Gasperini describes three varieties : N. bovis sulphurea, 

 N. bovis sulphur ea-alb a, N . bovis luteo-rosea. Caminiti has described 

 a variety which he thinks may be a new species. N, lanjranchii 

 Luigi Sani is also a variety of this Nocardia. 



Nocardia rosenbachi Kruse, 1896. 



Synonym—Streptothrix rosenbachi Kruse, 1896. 



Isolated by Rosenbach in a case of dermatitis, called by him 

 * erysipeloid.' Mycelial threads very slender; some terminate in 

 club-like swellings. Can be cultivated on the usual laboratory 

 media. Does not liquefy gelatine. 



Nocardia asteroides Eppinger, 1890. 



Synonyms. — Cladothrix asteroides Eppinger, 1890; Streptothrix 

 eppingeri Rossi-Doria; 1891; Odspora asteroides Sauvageau and 

 Radais, 1892; Nocardia asteroides R. Blanchard, 1895; Discomyces 

 freeri Musgrave and Clegg, 1907; A^. brasiliensis Lindenberg, 1909. 



Found in mycetoma and in cases of abscess of the brain. Mycelial 

 threads very slender (0-2 [jl wide); the mycelial articles become 

 easily dissociated, when they look bacillus-like. This fungus is 

 acid-fast and is very similar to Bacillus tuberculosis, but grows 

 much more quickly on ordinary media : obligative aerobe. Inocula- 

 tions in the rabbit and guinea-pig produce a form of pseudo- 

 tuberculosis histologically indistinguishable from true tuberculosis. 



McCallum has found a Nocardia very similar toiV. asteroides in a 

 case of peritonitis. 



Nocardia indica Kanthack, 1893. 



Synonyms,— -Streptothrix madurce H. Vincent, 1894; Nocardia 

 madurcB R. Blanchard, 1895: Micrococcus pelletieri Laveran, 1906; 

 Odspora pelletieri Thiroux and Pelletier, 1912; Nocardia pelletieri 

 Pinoy, 1912. 



It causes Vincent's white mycetoma, very commonly found in 

 Africa and Asia. The ' grains ' which are found in the pus of such 

 cases are soft, white, or slightly yellowish, and have a mulberry-like 

 surface. At the periphery of the grains radiating filaments are 



