Ultrastructure of an Anaerobic Filamentous Oral Micro-organism

SUMMARY: Thin sections of an anaerobic filamentous oral organism possibly related to Leptotrichia buccalis have been examined in the electron microscope. The organism exhibited a cell wall profile characteristic of Gram-negative bacteria, viz. a solid membrane and an outer double-layered membrane. The outer membrane could be removed by treating intact cells with trypsin or phenol-water. The organism contained numerous intracytoplasmic vacuoles.