THE RECOVERY OF DIPHTHEROIDS FROML-TYPE ORGANISMS CONTAMINATING TISSUE CULTURES

Abstract
Cultures of a number of tissue cell lines were observed to be infected with an organism of the kind usually referred to as PPLO. That the organism was in reality the L-form of a diphtheroid was demonstrated by the repeated recovery of the bacillary form from L-type colonies. The cultural procedure employed to recover the bacillary phase is described, and, as well, some of the characteristics of the L-type organisms and the diphtheroid. Attempts to eliminate the L-type organisms from tissue cultures by means of certain antibiotics and heat treatment were unsuccessful.