Participation of the antibiotics of Bac. pumilus and Bac. subtilis in the regulation of bacterial spore formation

Sporulation and antibiotic production, as well as the effect of exogenic antibacterial substances on bacterial sporogenesis were studied in various strains of Bac. pumilus and Bac. pumilus and Bac. subtilis. The bacteria were grown on a solid sporulation medium with and without the antibiotics. After 5-day incubation the presence of refractyl spores was determined with a phase-contrast method. It was found that in the strains of Bac. pumilus producing antibacterial substances the sporulation was normal. The loss of the capacity for synthesizing such substances resulted in asporegenicity or oligosporogenicity. This allowed a conclusion on existence of phenomenological connection between sporulation and antibiotic production. The study of the antibiotic effect on bacterial sporogenesis showed negative results which are discussed in the paper along two directions: (1) the antibiotics did not probably participate in regulation of the bacteria cell differentiation, (2) the antibiotics regulated the bacterial sporogenesis though their effect was not as yet detected because of methodical difficulties. Therefore, the problem of the antibiotic participation in regulation of sporulation in Bac. pumilus and Bac. subtilis remains open.