Abstract
THE bacterial L forms, which may arise when normal bacteria are subjected to an unusual or unfavourable environment, are highly pleomorphic: they may consist of granular, vesicular and branched structures. Probably the L forms (reviewed by, among others, Klieneberger-Nobel1, Dienes and Weinberger2 and Tulasne3) have a structural organization that is different in several respects from that of normal bacteria. Thus some workers2,3 have described composite structures in L forms consisting of granular elements inside large vesicles. According to Klieneberger-Nobel4 these granules may fuse with each other. Tulasne3 assumes that the various morphological structures found in cultures of bacterial L forms represent stages of a complicated life-cycle. This has, however, been questioned by other investigators5,6. The observations reported below may be of some interest in connexion with a general discussion of the nature of the bacterial L forms.
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References
Klieneberger-Nobel, E., Bact. Revs., 15, 77 (1951).
Dienes, L., and Weinberger, H. J., Bact. Revs., 15, 245 (1951).
Tulasne, R., Rend. ist. super. sanità, Supp. 1, 144 (1953).
Klieneberger-Nobel, E., J. Gen. Microbiol., 5, 525 (1951).
Höpken, W., and Bartmann, K., Zentr. Bakt. Parasitenk. Abt. 1, Orig., 162, 372 (1954).
Kellenberger, E., Liebermeister, K., and Bonifas, V., Z. Naturforsch., 11 b, 206 (1956).
Klieneberger-Nobel, E., Zentr. Bakt. Parasitenk., Abt. 1, Orig., 165, 329 (1956).
Abrams, R. Y., J. Bact., 70, 251 (1955).
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THORSSON, K., WEIBULL, C. Electron Microscopy of a Stable Proteus L Form. Nature 181, 1348 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1038/1811348b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1811348b0
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