Dissociation of Diplococcus from Measles

As a result of aging strains of measles diplococci, two additional culture types have been obtained. The original colony is a small, smooth colony with a wide green zone (small S); the first variant is a large, smooth, less green colony with a narrow zone of partial hemolysis (large S); these two co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 1929-09, Vol.45 (3), p.235-243
Main Author: Tunnicliff, Ruth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antiserum
Ascites
Blood
Hemolysis
Measles
Paramecia
Room temperature
Specimens
Toxicity
Toxins
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Summary:As a result of aging strains of measles diplococci, two additional culture types have been obtained. The original colony is a small, smooth colony with a wide green zone (small S); the first variant is a large, smooth, less green colony with a narrow zone of partial hemolysis (large S); these two colonies in ascites plain agar are clear and smooth with regular edges; the second variant is a lage, smooth, moist, slightly green colony with no hemolysis and is smooth, opaque and slightly granular on ascites agar (large SR). All forms are gra positive. The original coccus is small, round or slightly elongated in pairs or chains; the first and second variants are large, round in pairs and clumps, the second variant often showing a capsule. The original small S culture does not ferment salicin; the two variants ferment salicin. The three culture types vary in their phagocytability, the original type is phagocytable, the first variant more so and the second variant generally not phagocytable. Small S type (Duval-Hibbard) now produces no substances toxic for paramecia, large S type is slightly toxic and large SR is very toxic for paramecia. The toxin from large S is partially neutralized by anti-measles-diplococcus goat serum and convalescent human measles serum; the toxin from the large SR is neutralized by neither. By transplanting the three types 21 times in anaerobic blood agar cultures at 36 C, the small S type remained the same; the large S were changed to SR, and the large SR to large S colonies, but small S colonies appeared in neither the large S nor the large SR cultures. By transplanting the large S and large SR cultures frequently in dextrose broth at room temperature was the large S type reverted to the small, smooth colony with a wide green zone (small S).
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/45.3.235