Location of bacterial polysaccharide during various phases of growth.

Polysaccharide-containing material was located by histochemical staining on ultrathin sections of Bacillus cereus and several clostridial species during various phases of growth. These components were located along the cell wall in young vegetative cells and along the developing cortex in sporulating cells. In B. cereus any carbohydrate-containing material present along the forespore membrane was too small to be detected by direct staining. However, in three clostridial species such material was detected at all stages of forespore development.