Morphological changes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae induced by various subinhibitory concentrations of cefotiam

A wide variety of morphological changes is induced in gonococci exposed to subinhibitory concentrations of cefotiam. The spectrum reaches from phenomena like enlargement or lysis of cells which can already be seen on the light microscopic level to others which can only be detected by ultrastructural analysis. Most of the changes rarely also occur during the life cycle of gonococci not exposed to an antibiotic. Yet they are more frequent and also more distinct even in the presence of rather low concentrations of cefotiam. The development of mixed (layered and tubular) and even further disorganized mesosomes, however, seems to be characteristic of antibiotic interference.