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Comparisons of Cells, Refractile Bodies, and Spores of Bacillus popilliae¹

Department of Microbiology and Public Health, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Department of Microbiology, Baylor University, College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77025

ABSTRACT

Spores of Bacillus popilliae from infected larvae and refractile bodies produced in a Trypticase-barbiturate medium were similar but distinct from vegetative cells of this organism in protein, nucleic acid, and enzyme composition. The spores and refractile bodies were found to have catalase activity, some of which was heat-resistant. This enzyme was not found in the vegetative cells. The spores contained dipicolinic acid, but the refractile bodies did not. The latter were similar to cells in having considerably higher levels of phosphate extractable with cold trichloroacetic acid and of poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate than had the spores. Electron microscopy demonstrated conclusively that the refractile bodies are distinctly different from either cells or spores of B. popilliae. The possibility that these bodies are formed as a result of an aborted sporulation process is discussed.

² Present address: Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Article 4058.