STUDIES CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PNEUMOCOCCI AND STREPTOCOCCI

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bacteriology
• Immunology

Background:

• Morgenroth and collaborators reported transforming pneumococci into Streptococcus viridans using optochin.
• This study investigates the nature of variant bacterial forms derived from pneumococci.

Purpose of the Study:

• To repeat and verify Morgenroth's findings on pneumococci transformation.
• To characterize the variant bacterial forms obtained through optochin treatment.

Main Methods:

• Culturing pneumococci in optochin-containing media.
• Characterizing variant strains based on bile solubility, autolysis, freeze-thaw sensitivity, and immunological reactions.
• Attempting to replicate Morgenroth's rivanol-induced transformation of Streptococcus haemolyticus.

Main Results:

• Variant forms derived from pneumococci were identified as R-form pneumococci, not Streptococcus viridans.
• These R-form pneumococci exhibited distinct characteristics, including bile resistance and specific autolytic/immunological behaviors.
• The study failed to replicate Morgenroth's rivanol-induced transformation of Streptococcus haemolyticus.

Conclusions:

• The variant pneumococci obtained are R-form pneumococci, distinct from Streptococcus viridans.
• The methods used by Morgenroth did not yield streptococci but rather modified pneumococcal strains.
• Further investigation is needed to understand the discrepancies in transformation experiments.