THE TRANSFORMATION IN VITRO OF R PNEUMOCOCCI INTO S FORMS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC TYPES BY THE USE OF FILTERED PNEUMOCOCCUS EXTRACTS

1. Avirulent R pneumococci derived from S forms of a specific type may be changed by growth in broth containing anti-R serum and a heated, filtered extract of S pneumococci of a different type, into virulent S organisms identical in type with the bacteria extracted. This has been accomplished in the case of R strains derived from Type II pneumococci, employing extracts prepared from Type III and Type I S forms. 2. The constituents of the extract supply an activating stimulus of a specific nature in that the R pneumococci acquire the capacity of elaborating the capsular material peculiar to the organisms extracted.