LIFE-CYCLES IN HACTERIA 125 



Many accounts of gonidial reproduction refer to spore-bearing bacilli, 

 and of these the paper published by Allen c[ al. (1939) is the most detailed and 

 convmcnig. These workers described the occurrence of small, rcfractilc 

 granules in the cytoplasm of the bacillus. These granules appeared to reproduce 

 by fission, and were liberated from the cell and transformed into small rods 

 which grew up into normal bacilh. The granules were capable of passing 

 through a Berkefeld filter. 



The process is probably typical of many which have been described, rather 

 less convincingly, by other authors. It is possible that the G forms 

 of Hadley (1927 ct scq.), which have been reported as tiny cells, forming 

 correspondingly tiny colonies among the normal colonies of several 

 different bacterial species, may be of a similar nature, but in this case also, the 

 evidence is more voluminous than enlightening. 



The existence of a granular reproductive phase in spirochaetes has long 

 been a subject of controversy. Recent studies have confirmed, however, 

 that members of this group may reproduce both by transverse fission and by 

 the formation of large cysts, usually at the end, but occasionally in the middle 

 of the organism. These cysts contain several small spirochaetes, sometimes 

 in a granular form. In the experience of the author the cysts stain more 

 deeply than the vegetative spirochaetes with basic dyes, and thus probably 

 have an increased nucleic acid content. 



There is evidence that the granules or gonidia are more resistant than the 

 vegetative spirochaetes, and the latter may survive adverse conditions in 

 this form. 



The details ot the processes ot formation and germination have not been 

 described, nor is it known whether a sexual process is involved. 



G; L-ORGANISMS 



(8, 9, 10, II, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 3T, 33, 39, 41) 



In several papers, Klieneberger (1935 ct seq.) described the occurrence, in 

 cultures of Streptohacillus monilijormis, of small colonies resembling those of 

 the organism of bovine pleuropneumonia. She considered these colonies, 



