[Electron microscopic characteristics of the action of penicillin and vancomycin on Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia akari in vitro].

Abstract

The possibility of L-transformation for two species of Rickettsia of the tick group (R. conorii and R. akari) was studied with light and electron microscopy. The experiments were performed on the cultures of L-cells (murine fibroblasts). Penicillin and vancomycin were used as the transforming agents. Electron microscopy revealed clear changes in the morphological structure of both species when the doses of penicillin and vancomycin were 50-100 and 250-1500 micrograms/ml, respectively. The antibiotics had a morphologically analogous effect on both species of Rickettsia. The resulting morphological structures were large oval spheroplast-like cells with significant expansion of the periplasmic space up to 1 X 1.75 micron under the effect of penicillin and 0.5 X 0.7 micron under the effect of vancomycin. R. akari was somewhat more sensitive to the antibiotics. Electron microscopy of the morphological changes in the Rickettsia induced by penicillin and vancomycin showed that they were similar to the changes observed in gram-negative bacteria on their L-transformation and to the penicillin forms of chlamydia (galprovia) and R. prowazekii. They may be considered as a phase of unbalanced growth and represent the initial stage of L-transformation.