Lethal effect of a heterologous murein hydrolase on penicillin-treated Streptococcus sanguis.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
D Horne, A Tomasz

Abstract

Nine strains of Streptococcus sanguis exhibited tolerance to benzylpenicillin: the growth of each strain was susceptible to penicillin with minimal inhibitory concentrations of 0.1 mug/ml or lower, but the bacteriolytic and bactericidal effects were limited in each case. The tolerance of these bacteria was also reflected in the large discrepancies between the minimal inhibitory and minimal bactericidal concentrations for benzylpenicillin. The hypothesis that a natural deficiency of endogenous murein hydrolase (autolysin) in this species accounts for the penicillin tolerance was tested by using a heterologous murein hydrolase, the C-phage-associated lysin. In seven of the strains, addition of the lysin to the culture together with penicillin or other cell wall inhibitors resulted in lysis and rapid loss of viability. The enzyme alone did not appreciably affect normally growing cultures. The irreversible effects of penicillin plus lysin were drastically reduced in the presence of the bacteriostatic agents chloramphenicol and cerulenin. Speculations based on experiments are presented for the mechanisms by which penicillin treatment sensitizes these bacteria to an exogenous lytic enzyme. Similar phenomena requiring cooperation of h...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Jan 1, 1985·Pharmacology & Therapeutics·D J Tipper
Jul 1, 1986·Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease·J C FungR C Tilton
Oct 1, 1987·Epidemiology and Infection·D CohenS Bergner-Rabinowitz
Apr 1, 1981·Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy·L de Repentigny, P L Turgeon
Jul 1, 1981·Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy·D Horne, A Tomasz
Dec 1, 1982·Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy·Y Holloway, J Dankert
Mar 1, 1983·The Journal of Clinical Investigation·F D LowyN H Steigbigel
Oct 1, 1986·Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy·E TuomanenA Tomasz
Jan 1, 1986·Infection·M A BoogaertsR L Verwilghen
Dec 2, 2008·Environmental Microbiology·Marcus C de GoffauHermie J M Harmsen

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