Spore Formation and 'Dimorphism' in the Mycobacteria

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Abstract
In studying 8 strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 7 strains of atypical mycobacteria all 15 were found to produce, in addition to the typical acid-fast cells, non-acid-fast ones, which gradually developed intracellular spore-like bodies; later free-lying spores were seen in the same cultures. This process occurred in heavily inoculated Lowenstein-Jensen medium cultures, which were at least 8 weeks old and were frequently aerated during incubation. With the atypical mycobacteria it occurred more readily in cultures in Kirschner fluid medium than on solid media. When the cultures containing spores were inoculated on nutrient agar plates, endospore-forming, rapidly growing organisms were obtained, which, were not acid-fast. These organisms when obtained from independent cultures of the same strain appeared to be identical in bacillary and colonial morphology at their first isolation on nutrient agar, but the organisms from different strains showed variation in these characters. Thus mycobacteria appear able to grow in two different forms: (a) form 1, which is acid-fast and multiplies by fission only; (b) form 2, which is not acid-fast, produces endospores and can be maintained in pure culture on nutrient agar. A seried of phases of development of form 2 cells in the cultures of form 1 organisms inserial smear examination of Lowenstein-Jensen medium cultures is described. It is suggested that mycobacteria might be considered as dimorphic organisms in the same sense as some of the human pathologenic fungi are known to be dimorphic. Evidence is submitted that form 2 organisms are not contaminants.