Studies on Dissociation of Certain Paratyphoid Bacilli: Role of Variants in Precipitation of Calcium Sulphite.

Abstract

In the course of certain bacteriophage studies, cells, thought to be a type of variant, have been found which have the ability to precipitate calcium sulphite. The technique employed and the detailed results, together with a review of the literature, will appear in a forthcoming publication. Since these presumable variants gave rise to a daughter-colony-like structure, within which sulphite crystals were incorporated, they may be termed thiosomes. These sulphite-containing bodies have apparently not been reported previously nor has microchemical technique been resorted to in studies of this type.On “Bacto-” agar plates, typical thiosomes are small (0.005-0.015 mm.), opaque bodies which are superimposed upon and at times in the medium surrounding ordinary colonies. They are black by transmitted light, white by reflected light, show extinction with crossed nicols and are iridescent with polarized light. Microchemical technique employed for the detection of cations and anions present revealed crystals typica...