STREPTOMYCES COELICOLOR MÜLLER AND STREPTOMYCES VIOLACEORUBER WAKSMAN AND CURTIS, TWO DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT ORGANISMS

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Abstract
A brief survey of the species of Streptomyces which produce a blue pigment. Streptomyces coelicolor (MUller) Waksman and Henrici and Actinomyces violaceoruber Waksman and Curtis have been considered to be synonyms and designated as S. coelicolor. They are now shown to be distinct species. A. violaceoruber is a species with gray aerial mycelium, forming spirals and smooth spores, nonchromogenic, and producing a blue pigment on many media. S. coelicolor Muller is a species with grayish-yellow aerial mycelium, forming no spirals, producing smooth spores, and nonchromogenic. Some strains produce a blue, soluble pigment on potato plugs, glucose-Ca-malate-NH4NO3-agar, mannitol-Ca-malate-peptone-agar, and glucose-peptone-agar. The blue pigment of S. coelicolor can be extracted in water; it changes to red in an acid reaction and to green in an alkaline reaction. The pigment is insoluble in most organic solvents. When the water-extract is evaporated, a red-violet substance can be extracted from the blue residue by dimethylformamide. S. coelicolor, a species of the S. griseus group, can be separated from the other species of this group on the basis of poor growth on glycerol-nitrate-agar, sensitivity to a particular phage, carbon utilization, and antifungal properties; an antifungal antibiotic of the polyene type is produced. S. canescus Hickey et al. is considered to be a synonym of S. coelicolor.
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