Science. 1975 Jun 6;188(4192):1015-7. doi: 10.1126/science.188.4192.1015.
A spiroplasma isolated from corn infected with corn stunt disease has been successfully cultivated in vitro. Acid formation was associated with its growth in liquid medium, and fried egg-shaped or granulated colonies developed on solid agar medium. Healthy leafhopper vectors injected with or allowed to feed on isolates from various serial passages through liquid medium were able to transmit the corn stunt agent to healthy corn plants, inducing typical corn stunt disease in the plants. The spiroplasma was reisolated and cultivated from such diseased plants and was indistinguishable morphologically from the original isolates. These results provide the first definite proof that the corn stunt disease is caused by the corn stunt spiroplasma.
已成功地从感染玉米矮缩病的玉米中分离到一株螺原体，并在体外进行培养。在液体培养基中，其生长与产酸有关，在固体琼脂培养基上则形成煎蛋形或颗粒状菌落。用含有螺原体的液体培养基连续传代的健康叶蝉接种物或让叶蝉取食该接种物，可将玉米矮缩病因子传播给健康的玉米植株，使其诱发典型的玉米矮缩病。从这样的病株中重新分离和培养出螺原体，其形态与原始分离物完全相同。这些结果首次明确证明，玉米矮缩病是由玉米矮缩螺原体引起的。
