Nitrites not produced from nitrates. Final reaction in glucose NH4CI solution, between pH 4.6 and 4.4. All strains show a marked power of uti- lizing paraffin wax as a source of energy. Source : Isolated from a soil from Rotham- sted, England. Habitat: Soil. 12. Nocardia minima (Jensen, 1931) Waksman and Henrici, 1948. {Proactino- myces minimus Jensen, Proc. Linn. Soc. New So. Wales, 56, 1931, 365; Waksman and Henrici, in Manual, 6th ed., 1948, 902.) mi'ni.ma. L. sup. adj. minimus least, very small. Filaments and rods, 0.4 to 0.6 by 2.0 to 10.0 microns. In older cultures mostly short rods, frequently V, Y, swollen forms or cocci. Irregularly stained with ordinary dyes, generally show bars and bands. Gen- erally a few cells from cultures are acid- fast, most are not acid-fast. Gram-positive. Gelatin stab : Filiform, granulated, cream- colored growth. No liquefaction. Agar: Slow growth, raised, folded, with finely myeloid margins. At first colorless, after 6 to 8 weeks flesh-pink or coral-pink. Potato: Growth slow, after 6 to 8 weeks abundant, spreading, much raised, finely wrinkled, coral-pink. Paraffin is utilized. Optimum temperature, between 22° and 25° C. Distinctive characters: Closely resembles Nocardia corallina but differs in the much slower growth and the smaller size of the cells. Source: Isolated from soil in Australia. Habitat: Soil. 13. Nocardia corallina (Bergey et al., 1923) Waksman and Henrici, 1948. (Bacillus mycoides corallinus Hefferan, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., U, 1904, 459; Serratia corallina Bergey et al., Manual, 1st ed., 1923, 93; Mycobacterium agreste Gray and Thornton, Cent. f. Bakt., II Abt., 73, 1928, 84; Pro- actinomyces agrestis Jensen, Proc. Linn. Soc. New So. Wales, 56, 1931, 345; Proactino- myc.es corallinus Jensen, ibid., 57, 1932, 364; Waksman and Henrici, in Manual, 6th ed., 1948, 902.) co.ral.li'na. L. adj. corallinus coral-red. Description taken from Gray and Thorn- ton (op. cit., 1928, 84), Jensen (op. cit., 1931, 345) and Bynoe (Thesis, McGill Uni- versity, Montreal, 1931). Branching rods, generally curved, 1.0 to 1.5 by 3.0 to 10.0 microns. In older cultures generally shorter rods and cocci. Non- motile. Not acid-fast. Gram-positive. Gelatin colonies: Round, convex, smooth, pink, shining; edge filamentous. Deep col- onies: Burrs. Gelatin stab: Nailhead; line of stab ar- borescent. No liquefaction. Agar colonies: Round, convex or um- bonate, smooth, pink, shining or matte; border lighter; edge filamentous or with arborescent projections. Deep colonies: Burrs or lens-shaped, with arborescent projections. In their very early stages, colonies consist of branching, filamentous rods. As the colony grows, the cells in the interior break up into short rods and cocci which eventually form the mass of the colony. Cells on the outside remain fila- mentous, giving the colony a burr-like appearance and often forming long arbores- cent processes. Agar slant: Filiform, convex, smooth, pink, shining or matte growth; arborescent or with projections from undulate border. Litmus milk: Alkaline. Reddish pellicle. Glycerol potato: Filiform, raised, dry, wrinkled, yellowish brown to coral-red. Broth: Usually turbid. Pink scum. Dorset's egg medium: Filiform, raised, dry, wrinkled, orange growth. Loeffler's medium: Similar to growth on Dorset's egg medium, but pink. Acid from glycerol and glucose by some strains. No acid or gas from sucrose, malt- ose or lactose. Phenol and m-cresol are utilized. Some strains utilize naphthalene (Gray and Thornton). Some strains utilize phenol or m-cresol (Jensen). Nitrites produced from nitrates. Optimum temperature, between 22° and 25° C. Optimum pH, between 6.8 and 8.0. Distinctive characters: Soil organism forming Mycobacterium-like colonies after 2 to 4 days on simple media; pale pink
