[Researches on some biochemical and serological properties and on the sensitivity to antibiotics of L-forms of "Proteus" (author's transl)].

The possibility to keep some biochemical reactions of the parent strains (urease-positive, glucose fermentation, phenylalanine-deaminase-positive, H2S but not indol production) was demonstrated in 5 L-forms, obtained from as many strains of Pr. mirabilis and in 1 L-form, isolated from a vaginal secretion and identified as belonging to the same species. The indirect hemagglutination technique, made by the sonicated antigen in 3 of the 6 L-forms with Proteus OXK antiserum, resulted positive in titers varying from 1:128 to 1:1024. Crossed tests made with antisera for different bacterial species (e. coli, Shigella, klebsiella, ecc.) and of Mycoplasma (M. hominis, M. orale, M. salivarium, M. fermentans, M. arthritidis) put in evidence aspecific reactions only in 1.3% of the bacterial antisera. On the contrary, all 5 antisera for Mycoplasma were able to agglutinate the sensitized erythrocytes at titers quite analogous to that of the homologous antiserum. The sensitivities to various antibiotics of the 6 L-forms and the parent strains has been determined. All of L-forms were more resistent to the tetracycline than L-forms of other bacterial species. On the basis of te results got by biochemical and serological tests, we confirm the necessity to make use of both the groups of tests, in order to identify the L-forms of recent isolation.