To the Editor.— I wish to take exception to two points in a recent article that appeared in theArchives(112: 370, 1976). Having finally disposed of the archaic notions as to the nature of the beast, 1 we now have to be concerned with the epidemiology and the relative virulence of two of the nocardiae, N asteroides and N brasiliensis . It is stated by Karassik et al that " Nocardia brasiliensis represents a ubiquitous soil saprophyte" and that it is of lower virulence than N asteroides . First of all, if you use Gordon's technique for isolating Nocardia from soil (bury a glass rod that has been dipped in paraffin) 2 you will find that throughout the temperate areas of the United States, N asteroides alone will be the species encountered. We have done this as a class exercise for a dozen years or so. If you use the same technique