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Occurrence of Dimorphic Forms of Mycobacterium phlei

Nature volume 208, pages 603–605 (1965)Cite this article

Abstract

DURING the course of an investigation concerning the lipid fractions of Mycobacterium phlei it was found that liquid cultures which had been incubated for a period of 1 week at 37° showed the formation of a dry, rough pellicle. However, after incubation for 5 weeks only a sparse pellicle remained and the rough pellicle observed at 1 and 2 weeks had fallen to the bottom of the pan, forming a thick, mucoidal deposit. This deposit was unlike the granular deposit obtained in young cultures of mycobacteria and it was therefore decided to investigate the morphology of the organisms in these cultures. Using the method described in this communication, three morphological phases of growth from M. phlei were consistently obtained, which formed part of a definite cycle of growth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bacteriology, Anderson College, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, W.1.

    D. E. S. STEWART-TULL

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  1. D. E. S. STEWART-TULL
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STEWART-TULL, D. Occurrence of Dimorphic Forms of Mycobacterium phlei. Nature 208, 603–605 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/208603a0

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