[Interaction of streptococcal L-forms and tissue culture cells].

The interaction between 2 strains of group A streptococci in L-forms and the cells of the continuous cell lines HEp, HeLa, L, GPK and PEK, as well as the cells of primary human and chick embryo cell cultures was studied under conditions of infection with different doses. In most of the cell cultures used in this study L-form of streptococci showed no pronounced cytopathic effect. They could be isolated, when using cell cultures as inoculum, from the cultivated cells of continuous cell lines during the whole period of the cultivation of the infected monolayer (6--7 days), primary human embryo cell culture up to days 8--11 and from chick embryo cell culture up to days 1--3. In the cells of the continuous cell lines the maximum amount of L-forms was revealed on days 2--3 by the immunofluorescent technique. The ultrathin sections of HEp and HeLa cells infected with L-forms of streptococci were found to contain small elements similar to L-forms inside the cells and on their surface, which was not detected in the infected primary cell cultures.