[Nutrient media for fermenting Actinomyces]

Fitness of various commercial nutrient media, manufactured in the USSR, for isolation and cultivation of fermentation-producing actinomyces was under study. The media were tested in two stages. Reference and newly isolated actinomyces cultures were examined at stage 1, clinical material at stage 2. Hottinger's blood agar was found the best for maintaining the growth of facultative anaerobic actinomyces and possessed the highest differentiating characteristics. This medium maintained sufficiently intensive growth of anaerobic actinomyces but only in the presence of meat extract. A liquid nutrient medium was designed, based on Hottinger's hydrolysate, that may be used for studies of these microorganisms' physiologic parameters.