[Morphofunctional characteristics of the development of strains of Fusidium coccineum differing in antibiotic activity in stab cultivation].

The object of the work was to study the morphological and functional characteristics of Fusidium coccineum strains producing fusidic acid and differing in the antibiotic activity. The high metabolic activity of the culture is accompanied by the following morphological characteristics: the cells are rich in ribosomes and mitochondria, they have early vacuolisation, are filled with lipid granules, and then the mycelium undergoes autolysis. As strains with a high activity grow, the structure of the cells changes, the number of ribosomes and mitochondria falls down, and the latter are destroyed. For a long time, the cells contain electron-dense granular structures limited with the membrane and capable of transformation into lipid granules and membranous structures. As was shown by cytochemical studies, the structures have not merely proteins and lipids, but also phosphorus compounds. Their functional role in the fungal metabolism is discussed. As soon as super-synthesis of fusidic acid commences, the cells of the highly active strains are filled with lipid granules associated possibly with the steroid antibiotic. These formations are released from the cell during local lysis of the cell wall and the cytoplasmic membrane.