DEVELOPMENT OF L-TYPE GROWTH IN NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE CULTURES

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Abstract
Dienes, Louis (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass.), Bojana M. Bandur, and Sarabelle Madoff . Development of L-type growth in Neisseria gonorrhoeae cultures. J. Bacteriol. 87: 1471–1476. 1964.—Strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (22) were studied immediately after isolation from patients. After 24 to 48 hr of incubation, the cocci in the cultures of several strains grew spontaneously into large bodies which later autolyzed. Usually, a secondary growth of cocci started in the autolyzed colonies. Microscopy of the cultures suggested that the cocci were reproduced inside the large bodies or that they originated from tiny L-type colonies. When exposed to penicillin or glycine, all viable cocci grew to large bodies, and after inoculation into the medium many large bodies started to produce L-type colonies. These usually remained small, but their morphology and growth properties corresponded to the early type of L growth. Typical L-type colonies with the usual appearance and structure were observed in two cases, but further cultivation in transfer was not successful.