Actinomyces denticolens Dent & Williams sp. nov: a new species from the dental plaque of cattle

Abstract

Six strains of actinomyces isolated from the dental plaque of cattle were assigned presumptively to the genus Actinomyces on the basis of Gram reaction, cellular and colony morphology and acid end-products of metabolism. This assignment was confirmed by the peptidoglycan composition which is shared with Actinomyces species from dental plaque. These cattle strains formed a homogeneous group on the basis of cell wall carbohydrate components, DNA base composition, polypeptide molecular weight distribution and physiological reactions but could not be classified with any recognised species of Actinomyces. A new taxon Actinomyces denticolens is proposed for these strains.