Abstract
Colchicine is toxic for plant and animal cells, and seems to be specifically a mitotic poison, preventing normal division of the chromosomes and thus causing mutation. 1 True bacterial cells differ from the cells of the higher plants and animals, in that so far as is known they do not contain chromosomes or well defined nuclei.
If the above statements are true then we might expect that colchicine would have either no effect or a different effect on bacterial cells than on the cells of the higher plants.
This work was designed to study the effect of colchicine on several different types and species of bacteria with respect to the character of growth, colony characteristics, cell morphology, biochemical reactions, and acceleration or inhibition of multiplication of the organisms.
Methods. A 4% solution of colchicine in plain meat infusion broth was sterilized by filtration through a Berkefeld N filter. This solution of colchicine was then diluted with broth to the desired concentrations. All media used were adjusted to pH 7.2.
Serial Transfers in Plain Broth and Colchicine Broth. One standard 4-mm loopf ul of a 24-hour broth culture of Staphylococcus H was inoculated into 5 cc of a 2% colchicine broth and into the same amount of plain broth. A culture of B. typhosus 109 was inoculated in the same manner. All cultures were incubated at 37°C. Serial transfers were made daily into fresh media of the same kind (colchicine into colchicine, and plain broth into plain broth) for 12 days and every 48 hours thereafter until a total period of 22 days had elapsed.
At the time of each transfer subcultures were made on plain agar plates in order to observe colony morphology and also smears made and stained by Gram's method.
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