STREPTOCOCCAL L FORMS III

Abstract

This report presents the effects of sonic oscillation and filtration on the viability of a group A beta hemolytic streptococcal L form and suggests the application of this method for the release of the viable entities from bacterial L forms. Viability persists after disintegration of the AED streptococcal L form structure by prolonged sonic treatment. Two minute sonic treatment, filtration, and viable count estimations of the L form afford a method for the release and maximal recovery of the granular elements. The data and electron micrographs presented suggest that these elements are capable of reproducing the L form structure. The average size of these apparently rectangular and flat, opaque, filterable entities is 0.3 [mu]. The variability experienced in attempting to make plate counts of bacterial L forms may be greatly reduced by first dispersing the L form by short sonic treatment before plating. No consistent quantitative relationship could be established between optical density and viable counts of a given sonically treated and untreated culture from different experiments even though conditions for preparation and growth of each starting culture were constant. Such a relationship must be determined for each experiment. This anomaly is discussed. The effects of progressive sonic treatment, filtration and change in optical density on the parent streptococcus are compared.