Nocardiaceae

The Nocardiaceae are a family of aerobic, non-fastidious, high G+C, Gram-positive actinomycetes that are commonly found in soil and water.^[1] Some bacteria from this family are even indigenous to the Antarctic.^[2] Nocardiaceae present coccobacilli, filamentous or, rarely, fragmented and palisading forms,^[3] and filamentous species grow in a branching morphological pattern similar to fungal hyphae.^[4]

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Pathogenic capacity

Some species colonize animals, and members of the Nocardia and Rhodococcus genera can cause infection in humans and livestock.^[5] Many members of this family integrate mycolic acids into their cell wall, and as a result, Nocardia spp. may be mistaken for mycobacteria when viewed under a microscope following an acid-fast stain.^[6]

Environmental effects

Wastewater foaming

Nocardia species are often responsible for the accumulation of foam that occurs in activate sludge during wastewater treatment.^[4][7][8][9] Biological foaming can be problematic for the water treatment process, and foam accumulation is reduced by adding surfactants to the wastewater.^[10][11]

Bioremediation of hydrocarbons

Soil Nocardiaceae can degrade hydrocarbons (e.g. petroleum distillates) and have been proposed as bioremediation agents for environmental spills.^[12]

Nomenclature changes

In the 1980's, all Micropolyspora spp. were transferred to the genera Nocardia, Nonomuraea in family Streptosporangiaceae, or Saccharopolyspora in family Pseudonocardiaceae.^[13] This effectively ended the official status of this genus, but the name persists in older research articles.

References