title: Gardnerella vaginalis has a gram-positive cell-wall ultrastructure and lacks classical cell-wall lipopolysaccharide.
abstract: Gardnerella vaginalis has a very thin cell wall with a characteristic gram-negative staining pattern and an apparent lamellar structure when viewed at an oblique angle by electronmicroscopy. Examination at right angles to the cell-wall plane and by freeze-etching showed absence of an outer membrane or any other lamellar structure. Cell-wall extracts made by methods specific for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) gave negative reactions by silver staining and for endotoxin in the limulus amoebocyte lysate assay. 2-Keto-3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octonoic acid (KDO), heptose and hydroxy fatty acids specific for LPS were not detected in the extracts. G. vaginalis cell walls are unequivocally gram-positive in their ultrastructural characteristics and chemical composition.
authors: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Sadhu
authors: P A
authors: PA
authors: Domingue
authors: A W
authors: AW
authors: Chow
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Nelligan
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Cheng
authors: J W
authors: JW
authors: Costerton
mesh_terms: D002473:Cell Wall / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005613:Freeze Etching; D006194:Gardnerella vaginalis / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006190:Haemophilus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides