Standardization of a procedure for detecting mycoplasmal growth inhibitor derived from mycoplasmal cells treated with chloroform and growth inhibitory spectra ofMycoplasma species

Inhibition of growth of mycoplasmas by mycoplasmal cells was demonstrated by using a disc method like an antibiotic sensitivity test. The optimal conditions for extraction of the mycoplasmal growth inhibitor (Mcin) and for the reaction were determined. The Mcin was effectively extracted by chloroform treatment and also was spontaneously liberated from the cells after a long cultivation period regardless of chloroform treatment. In addition, spectra of growth inhibition of mycoplasmal species by inhibitors extracted from cells of human and animalMycoplasma as well asAcholeplasma species with chloroform (ch-Mcin) were determined. From the data on the spectra of growth inhibition of mycoplasmas, a trial is presented to show that strains ofMycoplasma can be further classified by the chloroform-extracted Mcin, i.e., ch-Mcin-typing like colicin-or phage-typing.