On the Problem of Naturally Occurring Aberrant Strains of Brucella

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Abstract
"Typical" Brucella abortus and B. suis strains were found to mutate spontaneously to dye-resistance (thionin and fuchsin, resp.) at an average rate of 6 x 10-10. Most of these resistant mutants, and also mutants displaying altered CO2-requirements, competed successfully with their typical parent type in vivo. This was ascertained in experiments with guinea pigs and mice infected with known mixtures of parent and mutant cells. The significance of naturally occurring aberrant Brucella strains and some taxonomic problems are discussed in the light of these findings.