A TEST FOR MEASURING GROWTH-RESPONSES OF MOLLICUTES TO SERUM AND POLYOXYETHYLENE SORBITAN

A test is described that is useful for characterizing mollicutes in terms of the ability to maintain growth in medium containing 15 to 20% fetal bovine serum or in serum-free media with or without 0.04% Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan). Representative Acholeplasma species maintained growth in serum-free medium, and about half of the strains tested grew well in Tween 80-supplemented medium. Representative Mycoplasma and Entomoplasma species did not maintain growth in either serum-free medium alone or when Tween 80 was added. Spiroplasma species and group representatives generally failed to sustain growth in serum-free medium with or without Tween 80, but at least four of the spiroplasmas tested maintained growth in serum-free medium. The representative Mesoplasma species grew in serum-free media only when Tween 80 was added, as did Mycoplasma lactucae. Although the test has obvious determinative uses for members of the class Mollicutes, it does not supplant the conventional methodology for assaying the cholesterol requirements of these organisms.