FLUVIRUCINS A₁, A₂, B₁, B₂, B₃, B₄ AND B₅, NEW ANTIBIOTICS ACTIVE AGAINST INFLUENZA A VIRUS

IV. TAXONOMY ON THE PRODUCING ORGANISMS

Abstract

The morphology, chemotaxonomy, and cultural and physiological characteristics were examined on the five strains of actinomycetes which produce antiviral antibiotics, fluvirucin congeners. All strains have meso-2, 6-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall. Four strains, Q464-31, L407-5, R359-5 and R516-16, belong to the maduromycetes since they have madurose in the whole cell. The remaining one strain, R869-90, has rhamnose but no madurose, and is a nocardioform actinomycete. These five strains were classified and designated as follows:
Strain Q464-31 (fluvirucin A₁ producer): Microtetraspora tyrrhenii sp, nov. (Actinomadura pusilla group).
Strain L407-5 (fluvirucin B₂ producer): A maduromycete.
Strain R359-5 (fluvirucin B₁ producer): Microtetraspora pusilla (Actinomadura pusilla group).
Strain R869-90 (fluvirucin A₂ producer): Saccharothrix mutabilis.
Strain R516-16 (fluvirucins B₂, B₃, B₄ and B₅ producer): A maduromycete.