Coagulated blood serum: Liquefaction. Cell suspensions are bile-soluble. Indole not produced. Hydrogen sulfide not produced. Acid from glucose, fructose, maltose, mannose, glycogen, de.xtrin and starch; slight acid by some strains from galactose, sucrose and trehalose. No acid from lactose, xylose, salicin, glycerol, mannitol or dulci- tol. Nitrites not produced from nitrates. Slight production of ammonia. Methylene blue is rapidly reduced. Catalase-positive according to some in- vestigators. Aerobic; poor growth under anaerobic conditions. Serologically distinct from the other mem- bers of the pleuropneumonia group. Pathogenicity: Subcutaneous inoculation of infected lymph or of a virulent culture into cattle, goats and sheep causes a spread- ing, oedematous swelling accompanied by fever and other general symptoms; typical lung lesions are not produced by this route of infection, although positive blood cul- tures and arthritis do occur (Nocard and Roux, op. cit., 1898, 240; Dujardin-Beau- metz, Ann. Inst. Past., 20, 1906, 449; Tang, Wei, McWhirter and Edgar, Jour. Path, and Bact., ^0, 1935, 391; Campbell et al., Counc. Sci. and Ind. Res. Bull. 97, 1936). The natural disease has been reproduced in cattle by intratracheal inoculation, by intrajugular injection of the organism in- cluded in emboli of 2 to 3 per cent agar (Daubney, Jour. Comp. Path., 48, 1935, 83; Campbell et al., op. cit., 1936) and by exposure to nebulized cultures (Campbell, Jour. Counc. Sci. Ind. Res. Austral., 11, 1938, 119). Mice, rats, guinea pigs and ham- sters are not susceptible. Comments: Two varieties of this species are recognized: the common, well known variety that causes bovine pleuropneu- monia, and the variety described by Edward (Vet. Rec, 65, 1953, 873) which pro- duces a similar infection in goats. Pleuro- pneumonia-like organisms have recently been isolated from cases of bronchopneu- monia of cattle (Carter, Science, 120, 1954, 113); further study is needed before their relationships to this species and to Myco- plasma hovigenitalium Freundt can be de- termined. Source : Isolated from cases of contagious pleuropneumonia in cattle. Habitat: The etiological agent of conta- gious pleuropneumonia in cattle. la. Mycoplasma mycoides var. niycoides Freundt, 1955. (Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. and Taxon., 5, 1955, 73.) This is the common, well known variety which causes bovine pleuropneumonia and which is the type variety described above. lb. Mycoplasma mycoides var. capri (Ed- ward, 1953) Freundt, 1955. (Borrelomyces peripneumoniae caprae Longley, Colonial Research Publications No. 7, H. M. Sta- tionery Office, London, 1951, 23; Astero- coccus mycoides var. capri Edward, Vet. Rec, 65, 1953, 873; Pleuropneumonia capri Tulasne and Brisou, Ann. Inst. Past., 88, 1955, 238; Freundt, Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. and Taxon., 5, 1955, 73; also see Edward, Internat. Bull, of Bact. Nomen. and Taxon., 5, 1955, 90.) cap'ri. L. mas.n. caper goat; L. gen. noun capri of a goat. Relatively stable mycelioid structure with filaments of moderate length (10 to 30 mi- crons) (Freundt, unpublished observation). Short, filamentous forms and elementary bodies have been demonstrated in electron micrographs by Klieneberger-Nobel and Cuckow (Jour. Gen. Microbiol., 12, 1955, 95). Gram-negative. Serum agar: Unusually large colonies (1.5 mm in diameter) after 3 days. Horse-blood agar: Alpha hemolysis. Rabbit-serum agar: Good growth. Media devoid of serum: Slight growth. Semi-solid media: Fluffy growth near the surface. Broth: Strong opalescence. Horse erythrocyte suspensions are de- colorized. Coagulated blood serum: Liquefaction. Hydrogen sulfide production is slight. Acid from glucose, fructose, maltose, mannose, dextrin, glycogen and starch. No acid from lactose, sucrose, galactose, salicin, mannitol or dulcitol. Methylene blue is rapidly reduced.
