Studies on Staphylococcal L-Forms II. Growth and Morphological Characteristics in Liquid Medium

• Published in: Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 795 - 800
• Main Authors: EDA, Tohru, MATSUOKA, Shunsuke, TADOKORO, Ichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR BACTERIOLOGY 25.11.1972
• ISSN: 0021-4930; 1882-4110
• DOI: 10.3412/jsb.27.795

An attempt was made to grow staphylococcal L-forms of strain STA-EMT-1 which had been produced at the authors' laboratory from a Staphylococcus aureus strain in a liquid culture medium. It was successful to grow L-form organisms collected from a solid medium in such liquid medium as consisting of brain heart infusion, 5% NaCl, and 10% horse serum. The L-form organisms were subcultured successfully in the liquid medium. It was demonstrated that the L-forms produced coagulase in the liquid medium. Growth in the liquid medium was slow initially, but after several transfers in the liquid medium the growth was found to be more rapid, reaching its maximum in 48 hours. Macroscopically, the growth in the liquid medium appeared as a slime-like material sedimented at the bottom of the tube, but could be dispensed homogeneously by vigorous shaking. Microscopically, the liquid culture consisted of large spherical cells ranging from several to more than ten microns in diameter, fine granular elements, and amorphous substance. The minimal size of growth unit was less than 0.45 microns, as measured by the membrane filtration. The staphylococcal L-forms seemed to be a stable type. Until the present time it has not reverted to the parent bacterial form during about thirty transfers in the liquid medium containing no penicillin. The staphylococcal L-forms presented the same sensitivities to various antibiotics as the parent strain, except that it showed a resistance to antibiotics which inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis.