COHNISTREPTOTHRIX 



Genus Cohnistreptothrix Pinoy, 1911. 

 Definition. — Nocardiaceae growing best anaerobically, but can 

 grow aerobically; usually diiScult to cultivate and do not produce 

 arthrospores. 



Type Species. — Cohnistreptothrix israeli (Kruse, 1896). 



Historical.— In 1891 Wolff and Israel published a beautifully 

 illustrated account of a streptothrix, which they had isolated from 

 two cases of actinomycosis in man — viz., from the lungs and from 

 a retromaxillary growth. This organism was considered to differ 

 from N. bovis in that it grew best anaerobically, that branching was 

 absent, and that its injections into animals were regularly positive 

 in their result. These three characteristics induced Kruse, in 1896, 

 to make a new species for it under the name Streptothrix israeli. 

 In 1911, for reasons already set forth, Pinoy founded a new genus, 

 Cohnistreptothrix, with Israel's organism as the type species, and 

 therefore its name becomes Cohnistreptothrix israeli (Kruse, 1896). 



It appears to us to be of importance to give a brief history of the 

 species. 



Lachrymal concretions have been known since Cesoin described 

 them in 1670. In 1848, Gruby, examining one of these objects, 

 found it to be composed of a fungus, which he believed to be the 

 same as that causing favus, but Cohn, in 1875, examining another 

 such concretion, also saw a fungus, for which he created a new 

 genus streptothrix, calling the fungus in question Streptothrix 

 foersteri Cohn, 1875, which may be the same organism as 5. aureus 

 Du Bois de Saint Severin, 1895, and must be closely related to 

 Nocardia tenuis Castellani, 1911, which belongs to the same genus, 

 and as its colonies on agar are ' cerebriform ' it may possibly be the 

 same as, or related to, Streptothrix radiatus and 5. cerebriformis 

 (both described from cases of keratitis by Namyslowski in 1909), as 

 well as the more aerobic hyphal form of Silberschmidt's organism. 



Unfortunately, a mistake was made, for Cohn was not aware 

 that the name Streptothrix had already been given by Corda, in 

 1839, for another and quite different fungus, which is known as 

 Streptothrix fusca Corda, 1839, and is to be found in all works 

 of any importance on systemic mycology Therefore, as strepto- 

 thrix is not available, after many changes, the generic name has 

 become Cohnistreptothrix Pinoy, 1911, and to this genus Israel's 

 human organism belongs. It differs from Bollinger's type of fungus 

 in growing best anaerobically, in being difficult to cultivate, and in 

 not producing arthrospores. Other allied organisms are Cohni- 

 streptothrix thibiergei (Ravaut and Pinoy, 1909), also found in acti- 

 nomycosis in man ; Streptothrix spitzi Lignieres, 1903, found in cattle, 

 is probably identical with C. tsm^/i, as may be Doyen's streptothrix ; 

 while Nocardia carougeaui Gougerot, 1909, in juxta-articular nodules, 

 and Streptothrix cuniculi Schmorl, 1891, probably also belong to this 

 genus, as well as the streptothrix recently discovered in a liver 

 abscess in America by Bloomfield and Bayne-Jones (1915)- Perhaps 



