Strategies to improve the reliability of a theory: the experiment of bacterial invasion into cultured epithelial cells

An analysis is presented of published methods that have been used by experimenters to justify the reliability of the theory of invasion of microorganisms into cultured cells. The results show that, to demonstrate this invasion, many experimenters used two or more methods that were based on independent technical and theoretical principles, and by doing so improved the reliability of the theory. Subsequently I compare this strategy of ‘multiple derivability’ with other strategies, discussed in the literature in relation to the mesosome, a bacterial organelle that had been detected with the electron microsope, but which appeared later to be an artifact. I propose that different strategies have been applied in this problem, and multiple derivability may have been the decisive one. Finally I discuss the idea that multiple derivability may help to anchor theories in a larger network of theories.     

Mesosome formation is accompanied by hydrogen peroxide accumulation in bacteria during the rifampicin effect

Ultrastructural alteration and hydrogen peroxide localization were examined in Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli during rifampicin effect using transmission electron microscopy. Bacterial cells were treated with rifampicin and then were examined by electron microscopy to observe the changes of ultrastructure or hydrogen peroxide accumulation in living cells that took place before lysis. Intriguingly, rifampicin treatment led to presence of an additional location of hydrogen peroxide accumulation within the cells. There was an association between the frequency and size of the additional location of hydrogen peroxide accumulation and the concentration of rifampicin. Furthermore, an additional ultrastructure, mesosomes, was also present in cells during rifampicin effect. The frequency and size of mesosome increased with the increasing concentration of rifampicin. Result of multiple linear regression showed that the size of mesosome plays as a key factor in the quantity of excess hydrogen peroxide accumulation in cells during rifampicin effect. Linear correlation was confirmed between quantity of excess hydrogen peroxide accumulation and the size of mesosome in cells during rifampicin effect. This finding intensely indicated that mesosomes are just the additional location of hydrogen peroxide accumulation in cells under cellular injury caused by rifampicin treatment. The mesosome formation is always accompanied by excess hydrogen peroxide accumulation in X. campestris pv. phaseoli during rifampicin effect.