Electron-Microscope Illustrations Of Division In Mycobacterium Leprae

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Abstract
Summary The sequential changes occurring during bacillary division of Mycobacterium leprae in infected foot-pads of mice and human skin and nerves were studied with the electron microscope and found to be as follows: (1) a slight concavity develops in the plasma membrane, (2) two new electron-dense cell-wall layers are found between the concavity and the original cell wall, and an electrontransparent cell-wall layer appears between them, and gradually separates them, and (3) the annular ingrowth of the plasma membrane and cell wall proceeds until division is complete. There is no essential difference between the behaviour of Myco. leprae and that of other mycobacteria, nor between the behaviour in bacteria obtained from human biopsy specimens and bacteria from infected mice. Although Myco. leprae multiplies slowly the actual process of cell division may be relatively rapid.

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