The morphology of Nocardia opaca Waksman & Henrici (proactinomyces opacus Jensen) when grown on hydrocarbons, vegetable oils, fatty acids and related substances.

SUMMARY: Nocardia opaca Waksman & Henrici can use certain long chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and many vegetable oils as sole carbon and energy source in presence of simple mineral salts. Long chain saturated aliphatic acids (e.g. myristic, palmitic and stearic) can similarly serve. The same general morphological development is obtained on all these compounds but the initial mycelial phase is more pronounced on oily substrates (particularly hydrocarbons) than on water soluble or insoluble solid substances. Granules are demonstrable inside the cells. These granules are more intensely stained with fat and polysaccharide reagents than the rest of the cell. Well-defined electron dense bodies are also observed which behave similarly to the ‘mitochondria’ described by Mudd, Winterscheid, DeLamater & Henderson (1951) in Mycobacterium thamnopheos under intense electron bombardment.

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