What is Actinomycetes?

Actinomycetes are Gram Ve+ bacteria which  shows characteristics between bacteria and fungi. At the some stage of their life  cycle they show branching  hyphae and spore bearing mycelium can also produce.

Discovery of Actinomycetes

Actinomycetes was discovered by Ferdinand Cohn in tear duct of human eyes called as Streptothrix forester. In  1877 Harz demonstrated an organism named “actinomycosis” which was found in the pus of cattle that was suffering from disease. 

Habitat

The Actinomycetes are found in multiple areas of natural and man made habitats and they are cosmopolitan represent a variable group of bacteria. They love to live in various niches like soil,  oceans, fresh water, air, and also in plants living or dead bodies.                                                     

                                  

actinomycetes, microbes world

 
                                    
Morphology of Actinomycetes:

Actinomycetes depicts substrate and aerial mycelium . Whole colony are represented by the Aborigine. In the threads of substrate mycelium hyphae initiated which is composed by aerial mycelium. The entire colony is covered with a fluffy, velvety or floury coating and it is plenty in numbers.Sometimes it may developed weakly in the form of separate bundles of threads which located on the surface of the colony.

                                       Figure: The structure of sporangia of actinomycetes

In the threads of the aerial mycelium spore containing aerial mycelium are formed. Different species shows different forms of sporangia. It has been observed that some actinomycetes have a spiral or more specifically spindle like sporangia also some others have  straight or undulant structure. Their sporangia numbers are varied in count, it  can fluctuate between 0.5-1 and even 5-7 and more. The coils of sporangia in some cases are densely packed or sphere like criteria.