THE ACTINOMYCOSES 



2139 



is to be found in all works of any importance on systemic mycology. There- 

 fore, as streptothrix 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 arthro- 

 spores. Other allied organisms are Cohnistreptothrix thibiergei (Ravaut and 

 Pinoy, 1909), also found in actinomycosis in man; Streptothrix spitzi Lignieres, 

 1903, found in cattle, and probably identical with C. israeli, 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 abcess in 

 America by Bloomfield and Bayne- Jones (1915), as we have consulted the 

 authors upon this point, with which they are in agreement. Perhaps the 

 bacillus described by Sawtschenko, in 1896, as the causal agent of a pseudo- 

 mycetomatous condition may also belong to this genus, and it is also possible 

 that the Coccohacillus pseudo-actinomycosis polymorphus Berestneff, 1898, may 

 be the same as the chromogenic anaerobic streptothrix obtained from human 

 pus by Neschezadimenko in 1908, and carefully described. 



8. Cohnistreptothrix israeli. — This organism appears to be of 

 increasing importance in human pathology, for, according to Pinoy, 

 it appears to affect man more often than Nocardia bovis. It was 

 first discovered in man, as mentioned above, by Wolff and Israel 

 in Germany, and has since been found in thirteen cases in the 

 United States by Wright. It has also been found in cattle by 

 Lignieres and Spitz (1904) in the Argentine, and by Pinoy (1913) in 

 France. 



It is composed of short and long rods, some of which show club- 

 like swellings, while in old cultures spores which resemble cocci in 

 appearance can be seen. It grows but poorly in the presence of air, 

 but much better anaerobically at 37° C. on agar, on which it forms 

 dew-like drops, which later become yellowish and generally remain 

 discrete. In broth it forms a deposit of small scaly particles. It 

 does not grow on gelatine at the room temperature of Europe, but 

 egg cultures show typical branched filaments with club-like ends, 

 which later break up into bacillary and coccal forms, but true 

 arthrospores {i.e., resistant spores) are not produced. It forms 

 granulation tumours when inoculated intraperitoneally into rabbits 

 and guinea-pigs, after an interval of four to seven weeks. In these 

 tumours typical actinomycotic grains can be found, containing 

 branched filaments with clavate ends. 



9. Cohnistreptothrix thibiergei. — This fungus was discovered in 

 1909 by Ravaut and Pinoy in a case of actinomycosis which 

 produced generalized subcutaneous and intramuscular nodules in 

 a man in France. 



The nodules opened and discharged blood-tinged pus, in which 

 the fungus was seen sometimes in isolated bacillary form and some- 

 times as very small white grains, which in the tissues might measure 

 some 80 microns and be composed of a radiating mycelium with or 

 without fine club forms. It grows well aerobically and anaerobi- 

 cally, but the former produces more bacillary and the latter more 

 filamentous forms. The optimum temperature is about 37° to 

 38° C. It does not appear to be pathogenic for laboratory animals. 



