274
"Actinomycosis" and Actinobacillosis in Animals
scientific workers believed that all that showed the actino-body was actino-
mycosis due to the Gram-positive Streptothrix, and that the same disease
attacked the jaw-bone and tongue. In fact, Bollinger had " no doubt that in
the mycosis of the jaws, the corresponding lymph glands are similarly affec-
ted " [M'Fadyean, 1932]. The description and figures of " actinomycosis "
given by nineteenth century authors were correct in so far as the presence
of the actino-body was concerned, but they gave little help as to whether
the condition depicted was true actinomycosis or actinobacillosis [M'Fadyean,
1932].
Although Wolff and Israel had already cultivated the anaerobic organism
of true bovine actinomycosis in 1891, the importance of the discovery of the
Actinobacillus was not promptly realised. Wright [1905] in his memoir
cast a doubt if there was such a thing as a Gram-negative bacillus capable of
causing an " actinomycotic " disease in bovine. Although Nocard [1902]
had verified the discovery of Lignieres and Spitz, Wright was anxious to have
it confirmed. Further, Schlegel [1928] in Kolle, Kraus and Uhlenhuth's
" Handbuch der Pathogenen mikroorganismen ", suggests that the appearance
of the actinobacillus results from the method of staining only. With improve-
ments in laboratory methods, however, the two etiologically distinct diseases
due to the Gram-positive fungus (actinomycosis) and the Gram-negative
bacillus (actinobacillosis) are recognised to-day.
It may be mentioned here in passing that Actinomyces bovis, the anaero-
bic species of Wolff and Israel is the cause of true actinomycosis in animals
and in man, and that the aerobic type of actinomyces cultivated earlier in 1890
by Bostroem, and commonly known as A. bostroemi (A. hominis or A. graminis)
is recognised to-day by most scientific workers as a mere saprophyte of the soil,
having no etiological relationship with true actinomycosis. In spite of the fact
that the aerobic organism is known to grow readily on ordinary culture media,
Bostroem [1890] could obtain it only in twelve out of 700 tubes inoculated
with material from eleven cases of bovine actinomycosis. Further, the orga-
nism has failed to infect laboratory animals and cattle. The species of Bost-
roem should, therefore, be looked upon as an air contaminant and one may
" seriously question the relationship of the aerobic form to the disease actino-
mycosis " in man and animals [Henrici, 1930]. Moreover, Colebrook [1921]
states that A. bovis is a rather delicate (easily killed by drying), non-sporulat-
ing anaerobe which has never been met with outside the host-body, thus being
an obligatory parasite. In support of Magnusson's [1928] statement regard-
ing actinomycosis in man and animals, Davies [1932] mentions that A. bostroemi
has never been isolated from bovine lesions and adds that " It has never yet
been shown that A. bovis can lead a saprophytic existence ". As early as the
end of the nineteenth century, Crookshank [1888] and Delepine [1890] had sug-
gested the marked similarity between the etiological agents of true human
and bovine actinomycosis. The same view was emphasized by Wright [1905]
and is generally accepted to-day, the organism isolated from different parts
of the world being A. bovis [Colebrook, 1931]. The difference noted by older