Actinomycete morphology in shaken culture

Abstract

The morphology of 49 Streptomyces strains and eight other actinomycetes was studied in shaken liquid culture, using a range of spore inocula in a complex medium. Results showed that each strain would produce one, two, or more different gross morphological types throughout the spore inoculum range tested. The morphological forms that were observed included compact pellets, spiky or fluffy pellets, oblong pellets, flakes, hydrophobic rafts, aggregates, dispersed mycelium, fragmented mycelium, or combinations of these forms. Two strains of S. viridochromogenes developed different ranges of morphology in the test conditions.Key words: Streptomyces, pellets, spore inoculum.